


Highest Functional Velocity

by Lumelle



Series: Instructions for Assembly (Some Parts Sold Separately) [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Young Avengers
Genre: Established Relationship, Family Drama, Multi, Teenage Drama, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-19 04:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 92,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2374670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What was supposed to be a busy but peaceful spring for the Avengers takes new directions when a magical creature causes some soul-searching. Tommy needs to find his place in the world separate from his brother, but it may not be what he expected. There are secrets aplenty when the Avengers Tower fills with plans and projects -- but Tommy may yet have found the biggest secret of all.</p><p>But then, none of this matters if he can't bring his little secret back home alive in time for Billy's wedding -- if he is still welcome at all. Good thing Billy isn't the only one with dubious mutant contacts...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Please note** that this story will include non-graphic mentions of past sexual assault, mentions of mental trauma, canon-level violence, physical injury, people going MIA, mourning, bigotry, and minor villainous character deaths. The story will also contain a threesome, children in dangerous situations, and some strong language. Please read accordingly.

Tony sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. "Why do I have to be on the backseat, again?"

"Because Steve is the designated driver, by virtue of him staying sober," Pepper replied with far too much cheer. "And I wanted to sit with him, so really, it's not like you have much of a choice."

"Still. I feel like a little kid. No offense to kids, of course," he added, nodding toward Billy and Teddy, who were sharing his predicament. At least the car was big enough they weren't too cramped. "But, you know, it's fine once, and when you grow out of it, you shouldn't need to go back to it."

"You're perfectly happy to sit back whenever we're in a limo," Steve pointed out. "And everyone here is more or less an adult, so it's not like you can claim privileges."

Tony pointed a finger at him. "First, I'll take offense as soon as I figure out how that was an insult against me, because I'm sure it was." Another finger. "Second, limos are totally different, as are any cars with an actual, you know, driver, instead of my boyfriend being at the wheel. Third, I'm the oldest one here, and no, freezer doesn't count. I'm the oldest one by actual years lived, and thus I shouldn't have to sit in the damn backseat. And fourth, I happen to think I own this car, so really this is just several kinds of unfair."

"Actually," Pepper replied, quirking an eyebrow at him over her shoulder, "I do believe this particular car belongs to me. You bought it for me because the color matched my favorite shoes at the time, remember?"

"I remember. And I distinctly remember you saying it was a ridiculous gift."

"Because it was. Doesn't mean I didn't receive it. So, as I am the owner, and Steve is good to drive, really, there aren't any excuses for you to whine."

"Bullshit." He sighed. "Should have taken another car. More cars means more front seats."

"Except you're not sober enough to drive." Steve's tone managed to be both light and reprimanding. How did he do it?

"Yeah, well, then what do I have all these strapping young men for? One of them could drive me. They're not old enough to drink, yet."

Teddy chuckled. "What, you think if one of us was driving, we'd pick you for shotgun instead of each other? I'm sorry, but that's just not how these things work."

"I suppose not." He gave another dramatic sigh. "Maybe next time I'll get a limo and a driver. Or, you know, not have team dinners out again. We can always order more pizza."

Pepper snorted. "I'm sorry, I must have heard wrong. I could swear I heard you say we should have had takeout pizza for Phil and Clint's wedding dinner."

"Actually, no, that's not what I said. I just said any future team dinners, we should stay in. Obviously, this is quite the exception." His head lolled back, leaving him staring at the ceiling of the car. It was very close. "Quite. The. Exception."

"Good, because I was all prepared to take off one of my shoes and smack you with it if you were that idiotic, and that would just be really too much effort." Pepper's expression softened. "It was really all quite sweet, though."

"It was. Simple but beautiful." Steve smiled. "They've certainly waited long enough."

"I suppose it was okay." Not that he had anything against simple ceremonies, but really, any sort of thing where Fury was attending in a proper suit was just terrifying by its very nature. Tony still wasn't quite sure just who had wrestled him into that thing instead of a SHIELD jumpsuit. Natasha, perhaps? He supposed it was part of a best woman's duties to make sure the best man was presentable. Still, not bad. A few words from the Justice of Peace, Kate had handed them the rings, and boom, married. Then came the manly tears and hugs and team dinner with an extra Fury in a very exclusive restaurant reserved exclusively for their use for the evening.

Not bad at all.

"Of course, the next wedding will be a bit more elaborate." Steve grinned at the rear view mirror. "Right, boys?"

"Ugh, don't remind me." Billy groaned, hiding his face in Teddy's shoulder. "Can't we just elope?"

"No, you can't." It was wonderful how Pepper could deliver such news in such a cheerful tone to someone that wasn't him. Brilliant, really. "Of course, you are adults and make your own decisions, but really, I think everyone would like to see a nice, big wedding. It's not like we're likely to get another in at least a generation or so."

"Oh, right, that reminds me." Tony fumbled around a bit, only for Pepper to hand him his wallet from the front, because she was a clever woman and always knew what he needed and damn he was lucky. Opening it, he drew out a card and handed it to Billy, because he happened to sit closer. "Here you go."

Billy blinked, looking down at the card. "What's this?"

"It's a credit card." Because of course the boy hadn't noticed that yet. "For any and all expenses associated with the wedding. Flowers, venue, crazy bachelor party with superhero strippers, I don't care. Though if there are superhero strippers, there'd better be pictures. Or better yet, you should just invite me. I'm great at parties, ask anyone."

"There aren't going to be strippers!" Aw, the boy was so cute when he blushed. "There's only one superhero I want to see stripping, thank you, and I get that every night." …Good to know he still had some bite, at least.

"I think Pepper put together a preliminary budget." He glanced to the front, and she nodded. Great. "However, that's just so you don't get all shocked about costs, not a limit or anything."

"Ah." Now Billy was faltering, his other hand seeking Teddy's. "We can't…"

"Hush. As Pepper said, everyone wants a big wedding. I mean, who doesn't like weddings? It's going to be the superhero event of the year, at the very least. And yeah, I know you still don't feel that comfortable with spending big sums of my money, which is frankly ridiculous by the way, I'm not going to run out any time this century and whatever's left over when I croak will be divided between very few people, yourself included. Which is precisely why I got this card made."

It was Teddy who frowned, now. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that, by the time everything's said and done, I going to look at the balance of that card. And whatever sum you've spent, big or small, I'm matching that to a charity. One approved by Pepper, so you'll know it's good." He threw them a winning grin. "Gets me out of thinking of a wedding gift."

"You… what?" Billy blinked once, twice. Then turned to stare at the card again.

"So, you know, don't spare the expenses. Have the kind of wedding you'd have dreamed of back when you were still feeling kind of funny about calling each other boyfriends." He toasted them with an invisible glass, because Steve had these ridiculous rules about drinking in the car. "I can even promise your favorite superheroes will be in attendance. Without any unwanted stripping."

"Hopefully without any unwanted stripping," Steve corrected. "Don't think I haven't heard of what went on in your birthday party, Tony."

"In my defense, I was kind of dying at the time. Which I'm not right now, so don't look at me like that, Jesus, you'd think a guy would know to keep his eyes on the road in New York traffic. No, I plan to be rather less destructive and keep any embarrassment to my speech. No repulsors, no drunk DJing, and absolutely no strapless dresses." He heaved a sigh. "I just do not have the figure to pull it off."

"Now there's an idea." Teddy grinned, and that was good, grinning meant relaxed. "What do you think, Bee? Matching strapless dresses for the entire wedding party and grooms' families?"

"Don't be silly, Tee. Finding a dress that complements everyone's body is far too much headache. I mean, you have seen Tommy's hips, right? No way could he wear a dress that looks fine on Bruce."

"Can't say I have, no." Teddy chuckled. "Only one set of hips on this team that I pay much attention to."

Billy leaned closer and murmured something that drew out another chuckle. Then there was a flash of blue light, and Tony was left alone on the backseat.

"That's so annoying," he sighed. "If they were just going to do that, why didn't they just flash home to begin with? It's not like he doesn't have the range."

"Same reason why you don't fly everywhere," Pepper replied. "Sometimes, it's nice to do things the normal way."

"Bullshit. I would absolutely fly everywhere and anywhere, including the bathroom, if you didn't keep telling me not to. Flying is just that awesome, and my suit is awesome squared."

"No, you wouldn't." Steve grinned, Tony could tell even though he now kept his eyes on the road. "You really think we'd bother peeling the suit off every time we want to kiss?"

"You know, it's absolutely adorable how you still insist on saying kiss even though we all know you mean fuck. I mean, it's not like you're going to traumatize Pepper, she's dealt with both me and cranky business types for untold years now, God knows she could probably swear in at least eight languages if she wasn't too polite to. And it also doesn't make sense as an euphemism when the only people present are those doing the actual fucking with you."

"I prefer to leave the crass language for situations that warrant it." Well, yeah, he did have quite the filthy mouth when things went bad. "And you get squirmy whenever I talk about making love."

"Yeah, well, that's a squirmy term. What's wrong with just having sex? The term, I mean. Obviously there's nothing wrong with actually having sex, not as long as it happens within the boundaries of mutual respect and understanding, and fuck it, Steve, you've obviously infected my brain somehow if I'm actually saying that with a straight face." Not that he wasn't a big proponent of informed and enthusiastic consent, but that didn't mean he had to sound like a damn PSA.

"Maybe you're just growing up," Pepper suggested with a tiny grin.

"Maybe I'm just that drunk." He waved a hand. "Po-ta-toe, to-ma-toe. Same difference."

"I'm not sure that's how the saying goes."

"Close enough. Sue me. Or don't, no, that's a horrible idea, I know my best lawyers like you better, they're not idiots after all."

There were chuckles from his very cruel lovers, and then some silence, as much as one was ever going to get of it while driving through New York.

"One wedding over with, huh." Steve sounded almost pensive.

"The easy one, yeah. The big challenge's still to come." Tony closed his eyes, leaning his head against the window. It was nice and cool. "If we're all still sane and alive by the time the kids are married, I vote we have a honeymoon, too. We'll have earned it."

"Come now, Tony. It won't be that bad."

"That," Tony said, peering out through the tiniest sliver of his lids he could open, "is an abso-fucking-lutely idiotic statement, Steve, and I hope you're properly ashamed of yourself."

Steve, the big lovable idiot, had the gall to actually laugh at him.

Well, he would see soon enough.

*

The weirdness of one's life, Tommy mused, could pretty accurately be measured by what they were doing when you interrupted them in the middle of the day. "Oh, nothing that important," he might have said, for example. "I was just teaching my dad's robot to play catch with my baby brother's pet alien. One of them's nothing but an arm and the other can't even reach the sides of the ball, it's weirdly hilarious in a pretty teeth-melting way." Of course, he never got the chance to actually say it, as his interruption came in the form of a general call to assemble.

When he arrived at the living room, uniform and goggles on because he was efficient like that, the others were still just arriving, putting on various pieces of their uniforms. Kate fastened her quiver securely to her back and flashed him a smirk. "About time there's something to do."

"Oh, I don't know." Clint stretched himself, arms reaching far above his head, and if Tommy hadn't known better he might have thought the man was relaxed. "I wouldn't have minded a bit more of peace and quiet. Criminals apparently have never heard of giving honest people the chance for a proper honeymoon."

"You already had your honeymoon, Merida." Tony nudged his shoulder as he walked past, fighting with the zipper of his flight suit. "Besides, from the sounds of it, this isn't that big a deal. We'll be back by dinner. Right, Agent?"

"The preliminary reports do indicate that the threat is minimal," Phil agreed. "According to the reports, some kind of an animal landed in the middle of Central Park and started charging at people. So far no serious injuries, but there's quite a crowd at the moment, and the animal appears to be agitated, so it's just a matter of time before someone goes too close."

"Damn, and I thought we'd actually get something to do," Tony groused. "Anyone try calling Animal Control first?"

"There is the matter where the animal is very clearly not from Earth." Okay, so that might have been a factor in the decision. "Believe me, SHIELD isn't in the habit of calling the Avengers to rescue cats from trees."

"If SHIELD says it's important, it's important." Steve shook his head, marching into the living room. "Besides, if one animal appeared, there might be more. We'll get there, make sure civilians don't get too close, and see what we can do to contain it. Tony, what's our status?"

"All expected present." Tony tapped at a screen on his way out, checking the readings before leading the rest of them out to the helipad. "Bruce's sitting this one out because of the strong civilian presence; Thor's on a date with Jane but has been alerted to the situation, so he can provide back-up if needed. SHIELD and the police are handling the crowd right now, JARVIS has everyone's comm links in the loop, and I've got the screens set up for Agent."

"Thanks." Steve looked at the rest of them while Tony walked to his launching pad, the suit coming together around him and damn that was some tech boner material right there. "All right, everyone, we've got our mission. I want everyone to take it seriously even though it's not a major threat; civilian safety is at stake here. Phil, you stay here and coordinate. Tony'll fly me over. Billy, I want you to get the rest of the team at the park, after which you and Teddy get both Hawkeyes up in good positions, there should be plenty of trees around. Tommy, you run on ahead, but keep your distance from the threat."

"Got it." He flashed a grin at the Captain, then rushed off. Even taking into account things such as crowds and cars and doors that just wouldn't open, he'd be there first even at what for him was a fairly lazy pace. Indeed, he reached the park long before there was any hint of Iron Man's red and gold in the sky or the blue spark of Billy's portal. He was not, however, there before quite a large number of curious onlookers.

Tommy wasn't much of a fan of crowds, at least not when he had to get somewhere. When the density of the crowd got to a certain point, he couldn't really run as he wanted to; even with his reflexes there were too many variables in a large number of people slowly drifting this way and that, and at higher speeds even he needed a certain distance to make sudden stops and turns if he didn't want to deal with some rather painful crashes. By the time he'd found a way past the gawking civilians, he could already see Billy lifting Kate up into a tree, the others settling into various positions on the ground and in the air.

Then, of course, he saw the animal, and suddenly understood why the crowd was so big.

It looked like a horse, except no horse that big would have had legs so skinny, and the tail would have seemed more at home at the end of a lion than any kind of equine creature. Its hooves were big and split, and as it turned its head to give them a wary look, the spiraling horn jutting out of its forehead shone pristine white in the sunlight.

"That," Billy's voice cut in over the comm, "would appear to be a unicorn." There was a slightly hysterical edge to his voice. Tommy supposed he couldn't blame the poor guy. He felt a bit unsettled, himself.

"Yeah, we noticed." Even Tony's voice wasn't quite as wry as usual. "Except, you know, for the part where these things are supposed to be mythical?"

"They are, in this dimension." And what was their life that this was a sentence that made perfect sense? "There are realities where they are no different from cats and dogs, except obviously much more intelligent. This one must have appeared through a crack in reality somewhere."

"So at least it's not a mass hallucination. That's somewhat comforting, though no less unsettling." Tony clicked his tongue. "Unfortunately, the thing doesn't seem to realize it's supposed to be mythical around here. What can we do to stop it from goring anyone with that very impressive horn of its?"

"Well, the easiest way would be to get someone pure enough to handle it." Billy sighed. "Through some sort of magic or telepathy or whatever, it can get a sense of what the sentient creatures around it are and what they have done. It'll attack anyone it deems impure if they get too close, but someone pure enough should be able to tame it to an extent."

"And what does it consider purity, then? Because if it's not virgins, I vote we throw Steve at it. He's pretty damn pure, you know, aside from the virgin part. I kind of spoiled things in that respect."

"Iron Man, focus." Steve sighed, though the hint of reproach in his voice wasn't as serious as it might have been. They were all still circling the creature, which eyed them warily. "Wiccan? Any info?"

"Sadly for us, it seems they have delightfully medieval priorities when it comes to what is impure." Billy lowered himself down toward the unicorn, only to float away again as it turned its head toward him, eyes narrowing in threat. "According to most of the texts I've read, yeah, penetrative sex is a pretty big no-no. Murder, yes, but not necessarily all forms of killing. Any hints of demonic influence. Anything beyond that, the sources are a bit divided on, and frankly I'm not sure this is something we should try to solve with trial and error."

"Right. Someone who hasn't gotten laid or killed in cold blood. We got anyone we can call on that won't get offended at the mere suggestion?" Tony paused. "Also, can I just say that I'm both impressed and disturbed by the fact that you have more than one semi-reliable source on the morals of unicorns?"

"Just for the record," Tommy cut in, "I take no pleasure in asking this, however amused I would be at any other time. But. You said penetrative sex? How exactly are we defining that?"

"Well, it's hard to say where the definitions are actually the unicorn's preferences and where it's author bias in the sources," Billy sighed. "But considering it clearly didn't take well to me, I'd imagine most forms of insert tab A into slot B qualifies."

"Right. Let's see about that." Then, before any of them could stop him or probably even register just what he had said and tried to stop him, Tommy rushed forward, coming to a halt just a few steps away from the overgrown pony.

The unicorn eyed him warily for a moment, nostrils flaring as though trying to take a good sniff of him. Then, however, it gave a whinnying sound, lowering its head and digging one hoof into the ground. In what he considered an extremely wise move, Tommy took this as a sign to retreat back to his original position. The unicorn tossed its head a couple of more times, then looked around, a tremor running down its sides.

"Tommy! What the hell?" This time, he heard Billy's words even without the comm, the shout carrying far enough. "What were you trying to do, get killed?"

"Just testing a theory, bro. No need to get all bent out of shape, it's not like it's going to catch me anyway." Tommy threw Billy a grin, not that it was very clear over the distance. "Either it's even pickier than you thought, or there's more going on than that, since my experience with hide-the-sausage is strictly hands-on only." And yes, he was perfectly satisfied with that, thank you, and anyone who dared to doubt that could just go fuck themselves with something spiky.

"Demonic influence." He supposed he was impressed enough with how quickly Teddy responded. "You were originally made from Mephisto, right? I mean, there was something going on with his soul and your souls, right? And your souls are still the same even if we've all got new bodies, so it could be reacting to that."

"It's a working theory." Steve, again, trying to get the situation back under control. "In any case, keep your distance, including you, Speed. As Wiccan said, this is not a matter of trial and error."

"We could just try to recruit someone from the crowd," Clint pointed out. "You know, someone virginal enough helps us out, we help them in turn by relieving them of such an affliction. Yeah, it's a sacrifice, but someone's got to do it."

"And you the married man here, Hawkass." Tony's smirk was audible in his voice. "I thought I'd be the one to whore myself out to the masses."

"Please, Stark." Natasha snorted. "With your sexual history, anyone sleeping with you would be more of a virgin, not less. There's only so much filthiness that can fit in one bed."

"Everyone, focus. Don't make me call Pepper." Phil paused, just long enough for everyone to settle down, then added, "You all know any instances of prostitution for the greater good have to be cleared with PR beforehand."

That startled a laugh out of Billy, and Tommy could see Teddy covering his mouth to keep one in. Tommy couldn't help but smirk. "You know, I kind of love how being faced with the ultimate judge of sexual purity this team resorts to joking about rewarding freelance heroics with sexual favors."

"It's the problem with the whole family-team dynamic," Kate agreed. "It's sometimes hard to stay strictly professional when you know precisely how many members of the team have Avengers-themed underwear."

"In my defense," Steve said, his voice the pinnacle of propriety, "the Black Widow bra does offer superior support." He waited for the laughs to die somewhat, then added, "Seriously, though, we need to focus. We'll be here all day at this rate."

"Easy for you to say when we can't get anywhere near without the thing going murder-happy." Tony did a small loop up in the sky. "I suppose I could try and blast it off, but then, I'm pretty sure killing off unicorns in front of this kind of a crowd would be pretty bad PR."

"For now, let's just try to keep it contained. SHIELD will send back-up as soon as they locate appropriate personnel." Ah, again Phil took on the role of the voice of sense and boredom. "No one is to approach without express orders."

That probably would have been it, really, and Tommy was contemplating just dashing back to the Tower, if two things hadn't happened. One, someone from the crowd gathered at a somewhat safe distance shouted, startling the unicorn. Two, the branch Kate was seated on creaked and then broke, sending her hurtling toward the ground. The animal, already agitated, took off toward her at a run as she hit the ground.

Tommy rushed to help her, except in his panic he tripped, he never tripped damn it that was just ridiculous. In the fraction it took him to regain his balance the unicorn had already reached Kate who was still just struggling to her feet, ready to attack, and yeah, he was never going to forgive himself for this mess.

Except the unicorn wasn't attacking. It rushed forward, yes, but then reared up, making a whinnying sound as Kate shielded her head with her arms. Two heavy hooves hit the ground, and the animal was nudging her with its head, looking as close to worried as was possible for something so clearly inhuman.

Kate startled at first, but then lowered her arms, looking at the unicorn. It made a soft nose, nudging her again. As the others drew nearer, still cautious, it reared its head for a moment, but then returned its attention to her.

Tommy stepped forward, not wanting to go too close. The last thing they needed was for the animal to get angry again, not now when Kate was right next to it. Her face was hidden in the unicorn's mane now, her hands making small soothing gestures over its white coat. Her shoulders were shaking, Tommy noted, and it took him a second to realize what that meant.

Kate was crying.

Well, fuck it all.

*

"Kate?"

The hesitant tone made her look up toward the door of her room. It was opened halfway, framing the person standing there in the soft light from the hallway. "Billy?"

"You feeling better?" Billy stepped closer, though he still didn't fully enter the room, hovering over the doorstep. "Everyone's kind of worried."

"I… yeah, I'm better. Sorry to have worried you." She thought for a moment, then added, "Come on in."

He stepped in, then, closing the door behind himself. JARVIS, ever on top of the situation, brightened the lights from the dim semi-darkness she'd been sitting in. Billy walked closer, slower than usual, as though she were now the skittish animal in need of reassurance.

He didn't ask anything. Of course not. He was too nice for that.

"Sorry about that." She sighed, falling back on her bed. "It's just… Well. I can't really explain it, can I."

"I think everyone understands. It was a pretty dramatic situation on all sides." Billy's lips twitched without much humor. "Even without Tommy's idiotic insistence on getting himself in danger."

"Yeah, he's got something of a tendency for that, doesn't he?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wonder how he lived long enough to pretend he's an adult."

"Well, to be fair, there isn't much he can't dodge." Billy came to a halt some ways from her, folding his hands behind his back. "For what it's worth, the unicorn situation seems to be under control now. And by that I mean SHIELD's taken custody of it until we can decide what to do with it."

"And how'd that happen?"

"Apparently, Fury somehow managed to ferret out enough agents who haven't killed anyone in cold blood and are willing to admit to being at least somewhat virginal that they can actually have a reasonable rotation in keeping an eye on it. Clint made some quips about this paralyzing SHIELD's entire IT department, which Tony seemed to take personal affront to."

"Figures." She snorted. "I swear, some day I'll have a team with actual grown-ups on it. Not that I expect that to happen any time soon, but some day I will."

"We can all keep dreaming, I guess." Billy gave a faint chuckle. "In the meantime, debrief's over, what little there was of it. Steve told you not to worry about it and to focus on feeling better. Me, I got grilled by SHIELD's information analysts for so long that Teddy actually showed up to drag me away from them. I'm still not sure what their deal was. I mean, all I could offer was guesswork and little tidbits from conflicting sources."

"Well, you are the closest thing they have to a magic expert. There's Strange, of course, but you are somewhat easier to reach."

"I suppose." Billy sighed, then paused. "So, ah. After I finally got back home, I looked through my sources again. Not thoroughly, of course, but enough to clarify a couple of things." He seemed nervous, like he was constantly tempted to fidget but fighting the urge. "It seems most of them agree that murder is considered impurity, but accidental deaths might be excused. I… guess it might make sense for intent to matter in other aspects, too."

"You know." She didn't bother to frame it as a question. It certainly appeared he was informed enough.

"I've suspected." He shrugged a bit, sitting on the edge of the bed just out of reach. "It's nothing obvious, but sometimes the things you do or say, or the way you do or say them… well. I formed my own theory, even before this. Didn't want to ask you about it, though, because, yeah. Not my place to bring it up. And today… well. It's the only way to explain the situation — the fact that you didn't volunteer, and your, ah, reaction." He paused. "When the SHIELD goons asked about it, I told them I presumed you thought it would be more judgmental about sex than it ended up being, since, well, it did threaten your boyfriend. So, if they have the gall to ask you, stick to that and it'll be fine."

"Thank you for that, I guess." She drew a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I… haven't spoken about it, really. I've only ever told three people. The first was my therapist, the second, Jessica. I think Clint has drawn his own conclusions, but I never told him, not in as many words."

"And the third one you told was Tommy." A guess, but a good one.

"Yes." Her lips curled into a faint smile. "I'll admit, I was a bit concerned about it, but he never had an issue with it. Offered to track down the guy, of course, but that was it. He never thought differently of me because of it."

"Is that why you…" Billy seemed to hesitate, but it was clear enough what he was trying to say.

"Why we haven't gone all the way? More or less. I mean, it used to be, but…" She gave an awkward shrug. "It's complicated."

"Want to talk about it?"

Kate almost said no, more on reflex than anything. Then, however, she paused to think. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea. It might help her get her thoughts in order, and for all that Billy was as much a master of snark as any self-respecting Stark could hope to be, she knew he would take the matter seriously. Try to lighten the mood with some humor, perhaps, but never make light of her feelings.

"Just so you know," she said, allowing her lips to quirk the slightest bit, "I'm pretty sure taking part in this conversation will officially promote you to girlfriend status."

"I'm afraid that ship has sailed," Billy replied without a moment's hesitation. "Darcy took me bra-shopping the other week. Apparently she needed someone who could give their opinion without either ogling her or blushing seven different shades of red, and she didn't trust Tommy to avoid the former or Teddy the latter."

"And you didn't blush, then?"

"You think I could watch my fashion shows as religiously as I do if a woman in a bra scared me?" He tilted his head. "I'll have you know I have absolutely nothing against breasts as long as I'm not expected to find any direct applications for them."

"I'm sure the breasts of the world appreciate this lack of shunning." Her lips twitched. "Of course, Tommy would probably say you completely fail to give them the proper appreciation they deserve."

"I don't get why he complains. It's not like I'm campaigning for everyone else to give up on breasts." Billy reached out a hand, brushing lightly against her arm. "So, ah. If there's anything you'd like to say, I'll listen. I can't promise I have any useful advice to offer, but…"

"Right." She gave him a faint smile. "It's just… it's kind of complicated." She sat up again, running a hand through her hair. "I won't say I'm entirely over it, because, yeah. Not going to happen. But I am over it enough that I can imagine myself not getting freaked out over going all the way with someone I actually want. The problem being, I'm… not sure that would be Tommy."

"Kate?" Billy frowned, and she wasn't sure it was entirely out of concern for her, now. Not that she could blame him.

"Sorry, that probably sounded really bad." She sighed. "No, I'm not thinking of cheating on him or anything equally shitty. I never would."

"Good. I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to actually figure out how to turn someone into a toad, and that's more of a headache than I need right now." Billy shook his head. "So what is it that you mean, then?"

"I love Tommy." It was something she did not say often, which was probably just as well, given Tommy's tendency to react to anything even remotely mushy by rushing in the opposite direction at his rather impressive top speed. "I'm not sure what that says about me or my potentially masochistic tendencies, but I really do. However, in this situation, that just makes everything worse."

Billy didn't say anything, just nodded. At least he was fulfilling his promise of listening. He was good like that.

"I do want to sleep with him. Yes, we've had sex in its various forms, but never actual intercourse, purely because of my traumas. And I want to do that. But… what if I'm not as over it as I'd like to think? What if I freak out and Tommy thinks it's because of something he did?" In that, at least, the two brothers could be sometimes far too similar. "Yes, I know, I should listen to myself and think of what I'm ready for and other such bullshit, but the fact is, this being Tommy just makes it worse."

"Because you're afraid of disappointing him."

"That, yes." She couldn't help but be relieved that Billy got it without needing much explanation. "He's… I don't want to do that to him. I'm afraid of that happening. And because of that, I'm more nervous than I would be otherwise. So, the fact that I'm afraid of freaking out on him is making me more likely to freak out." And wasn't that just the most charming little mess. "So, yeah. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be easier if it was someone other than Tommy, someone I don't have such strong feelings for. Except that's never going to happen, so the point is moot."

"It bothers you, though." Billy sighed. "I wish I could offer you some nice and useful advice, really, I do. But, well, I don't exactly have any actual experience on the matter."

"I'm glad you don't." That wasn't something she would have wished on her worst enemy. "And you're already helping. I haven't exactly had the chance to discuss this with a lot of people."

"Well, I'm always willing to listen." His lips twitched, just a bit. "As long as it doesn't involve any actual dirty details about my brother's sex life. There are limits to how far I'm willing to go for the sake of friendship."

"So I shouldn't give you a detailed account of all the ways we've found to work around our respective traumas? His relationship with restraints would probably be enough fodder for a couple of psychological studies all on its own." Which, in a rather twisted and probably unhealthy way, gave her reassurance that at least she wasn't the only one with unwanted baggage in their relationship.

"Not unless you're prepared to listen to the ways Teddy and I have managed to reconcile our mutual power kinks with all the mental hang-ups various supervillains have left us with over the years."

"Oh, I don't know. That might make for a night of very interesting girl talk some time." She gave him a faint smile. "Seriously, though. Thank you for listening. I'm sure you'd have plenty of better things to do, never mind more pleasant."

"Hey, if someone in this little clan is capable of actually talking about their feelings, I'm going to do everything I can to encourage it. I would say something about the emotional constipation of some of our loved ones, but I don't think I have any right to speak, considering my engagement was basically the result of my shutting everyone out until Teddy got scared enough to confront me about it."

"God, we're a messed-up lot." She took Billy's hand and squeezed it a bit. "Then, I'm not sure anyone properly balanced would be doing this job."

"Perhaps not." Billy gave her a wry grin, and seemed like he was about to say something just as a voice from above cut in.

"Miss Kate? I do hate to interrupt, but I fear your food may be getting cold."

Kate frowned. "Food? What food?" She certainly hadn't asked for any; post-mission meals with the team might have been a well-held tradition with the Avengers by now, but she hadn't been exactly eager for either food or company at the time.

"The meal Master Tommy left behind your door earlier."

Kate felt blood draining from her face. As she turned to look at Billy with wide eyes, he shook his head.

"There wasn't anything when I got here. He must have brought it after I came."

"Why didn't he bring it in, though?" She shot up from the bed, crossing over to the door. "It's not like he's been particularly worried about respecting private conversations before." She opened the door, indeed finding a tray on the floor behind it, left just enough to the side a careless foot would not kick it by accident while stepping out. The tray itself bore evidence of the softer side Tommy so vehemently denied having, while its placement spoke of care and consideration he did not display unless he was especially shaken.

Billy was right behind her, the frown on his face as Kate turned to look at him suggesting he had come to the same conclusion. "I'll go look for him." Then, before Kate could even think about protesting properly, he shook his head. "Whatever he heard, he's probably not going to react well to, well, anything from you. He's too shaken by this whole mess, not that he'd admit it. I'll speak with him and try to figure this out."

"Right." She swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not the first time I've had to solve Tommy's messes, and I highly doubt it'll be the last." He patted her on the shoulder. "Now, how about you eat something? JARVIS wasn't wrong, it's going to get cold soon. You'll feel better for it, too."

"Probably." Kate nodded. "Thank you."

"Nothing to thank me for. Just try and feel better, okay? Everything will be fine soon enough."

She supposed it was a true testament to his ability to warp reality at his will that, for the moment, it actually seemed believable.

*

"Tommy?"

He didn't bother to turn toward the voice, looking down at the surrounding city instead. "Go away."

"I don't think I will." He heard Billy walking closer, his steps clear even with the sound of surrounding wind and the usual New York traffic down below. "Not when you're acting like this."

"I'm not acting like anything." Definitely not anything he didn't have the full right to. "Why don't you go continue your little heart to heart with Kate?"

"Is that what this is about? That I talked with her? Because if so, stop it. Sometimes it's hard to discuss certain things with those you're closest to. It's not some kind of an insult toward you that she'd confide in me."

"Yeah, I don't exactly blame her for not wanting to discuss that with me."

"Tommy." And finally he did turn, seeing Billy look at him with a frown. "Tommy, what exactly did you hear?"

"I heard enough." Had heard that after everything, after years of being with him, she would have rather had sex with anyone but him. And that hurt. Not because he thought he was owed anything, hell no, not even because she didn't want him, but because he would have thought she would have at least had the decency to tell him to his face if he wasn't good enough for her. God knew he wouldn't have been surprised.

"Well, whatever it is you heard, obviously it was both too much and not enough." Like there was anything that could have made that better. "You should go and talk to her. She's pretty upset."

"She's been upset ever since that stupid fairy tale showed up. Nothing I can do to help, except stay away." He didn't want to upset her any further, not Kate. She was the one person he never wanted to hurt.

"Well, standing up here isn't going to help the matters, either."

"At least here I'm not likely to make things worse." For a moment, they were both silent. "We're never going to make anyone happy, you know." Tommy shook his head. "Never going to happen, for either of us. It's an impossible dream. Yeah, the lizard seems happy enough to stand by you right now, but in the end it's probably going to go to hell, too."

"Tommy, don't be ridiculous." Like he had ever heeded such warnings. Silly little brother.

"It's probably because we weren't supposed to exist, or something. The universe's trying to get back at us, it must be that, it can't get rid of us so instead everything around us goes to hell. I mean, how many family members have we lost by now, combined? Even Teddy lost the only parent he ever knew. And yet somehow he still hangs around because we're all he has because he's lost everything else. Just as well, probably, if he lost you he'd just go on a rampage."

"He wouldn't." And wasn't it just so damn fitting that this was the part Billy chose to disagree with? "Not Teddy."

"Sure he wouldn't. Not as long as you're here, anyway. Something happens to you, he'll have no reason to even pretend to be human anymore. If we're lucky, he'll go off in search of an alien empire to rule. If we're not, he'll decide to hold the whole planet responsible."

"That would be me before it was ever him." And that was supposed to be comforting? "Teddy wouldn't. He's — he's not even capable of such a thing."

"Not to you. You're his morality pet, his reason to play nice. You'll never see his dark side. But if it goes wrong, if he loses you, it'll all be coming down around our ears. And you can't know what he's capable of. He's not even —"

"Tommy, don't." Billy's voice was shaking, now, but there was a hint of coldness to it, too. Cold rage, that was, the worst kind.

"He's not even human." Because when had he ever let common sense get in the way of anything?

"Stop." There wasn't much force behind the word, but then that was what should have worried him, wasn't it. Billy's temper wasn't quite as notorious as his, but he still had the same spitfire tendencies; it took more to get him angry, but when he did it was yelling and fireworks until he was satisfied or the culprit had been reduced to figurative paste. This time, there was no hint of that, just cold fury behind the dark eyes. "You have no right to say that."

"Oh? Hitting a bit too close to home?" He should have obeyed, should have stopped, but he couldn't. He was running too far, too fast, and he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. "He's not human, he never was, even when he looks like it he's really just being Kree. It's just a matter of luck that he happens to be pink and not blue, though you'd probably like that, too, wouldn't you? Does it make you feel more human, standing next to him? Poor little Billy, such a freak all your life, but here's someone who's even more of a freak and next to him even you look —"

Tommy had heard, once, that mutant siblings were supposed to be immune to each other's powers. He knew it wasn't true for them in all aspects, knew that he could take Billy through a wall or step through a portal of Billy's making without a problem. He had never, however, had time to wonder whether this meant being immune to harm from their powers, even if they enjoyed the other effects.

It turned out both to be true and not. He wasn't burned by the lightning, not the way he should have been, but he was thrown back, hard enough to lose his footing and stumble across the edge of the roof. Billy cried out and reached toward him, though whether it was to stop him or to set loose another bolt was something Tommy didn't wait to find out.

He fell over the edge, but was still close enough to get some purchase from the wall. A simple flip, regaining his control of the fall, arms spread out for balance so he wouldn't lose his position. The floors seemed to flip past very slowly until there was a sudden stop. He was lucky, he supposed, to have fallen on the side with the helipad and Tony's landing strip, only a few floors instead of the long, long fall all the way to the ground. It was a hard fall, the floor creaking under his feet, but then his feet and legs took a lot more abuse when he was running at full tilt, striking them against ground faster than eye could see.

Billy shouted something, but he was probably better off not knowing what. Instead he rushed toward the balcony door, past a shocked-looking Bruce, and to his room. Cell phone, wallet, anything else he could get on the way. All he knew was that he needed to get out, fast.

He'd done it, he'd finally done it, he'd managed to get Billy to hate him and even after all this time it almost seemed like a surprise. Well, it shouldn't have been. Nothing good ever lasted, not in his life, even when something seemed to work he always managed to fuck it up, and the more something mattered, the worse the pain that followed. Really, he should have known better by now.

"JARVIS? I'm going out for some time." It wouldn't help much if Billy tried to chase him, but perhaps it would slow the others down a bit.

"I see. And when do you expect to return, Master Tommy?"

"Uh." He wasn't sure if he would, really. "I'm not sure, but I'll let you know when I do, all right?" After all, it was the best he could offer right now.

"Very well." He was surely just imagining it, but JARVIS almost sounded reproachful. Not that it mattered, not right now. JARVIS's disapproval was the least of his worries at the moment.

It didn't occur to him until he was already out of the building that he had no idea where he should have gone. For all the time he had spent in his misspent years constructing elaborate escape plans, he now found himself utterly without an idea of what to do in the imminent event of having run from home. Not that he had, really, he was an adult so he couldn't actually run away, but the principle remained the same.

Lowering the sunglasses that weren't really the same as his goggles but at least they kept away any overly irritating bugs, he started to run. He may not have had an assured welcome anywhere, but there was one place where he at least knew he could spend a night or two.

And if that failed, he supposed he could always call his grandfather.

*

"Billy? Are you here?" Teddy stepped up to the roof, looking around. At a first glance, it seemed as though it was empty, but then he spotted his boyfriend sitting on the edge in a manner that would have been quite alarming if Teddy hadn't known for a fact Billy was nowadays a better flier than Teddy himself. Wind was blowing at his back, pressing his cape around him, hood pulled up to cover his head.

That wasn't very promising. Especially considering that Billy had already changed out of his costume after the mission. That, and his cape didn't have a hood like that.

"Billy?" Teddy made sure to make his steps audible as he approached, not wanting to startle Billy. A sudden drop was never pleasant, even when you could just fly to safety. "Are you all right? Kate said you went to check on Tommy, and then Bruce saw Tommy dropping down and running away." And Teddy had managed to imagine a thousand different scenarios of just what had happened.

There was still no response, and he walked closer still, carefully seating himself at the edge of the roof. For a moment he looked out to the city, quiet, then glanced at Billy. His face was awfully pale even in the shadow of the hood, eyes unfocused, hands clenched into fists.

"Bee, baby, you're scaring me." Very carefully, he reached a hand to touch Billy's shoulder. "Talk to me?"

Billy was quiet for another moment, then finally spoke, voice hardly over a whisper. "I attacked him."

Teddy frowned. "What?"

"I attacked him." Finally, Billy turned to look at him, eyes dark and almost panicked. "I attacked Tommy, Teddy. I blasted him hard enough to knock him off the roof. I could have killed him, Teddy!"

"Oh, Billy, it's all right." He reached an arm around his boyfriend, desperately wanting to just draw him into his lap but their position did not really allow it right now. "I spoke with Bruce; Tommy looked upset, but he was unharmed. You didn't hurt him. You never could."

"He went right over the edge, Teddy. It was only by pure luck he only took the shorter fall, and even that could have killed someone who's not as resistant to impacts. And even if he got away all right doesn't change the fact that I attacked my own brother."

"Okay, I think I need some more info here." Teddy sighed. "What exactly happened? Bruce didn't know anything and Kate seemed pretty shaken, so I decided not to pry."

"I… he overheard Kate and me talking, and misunderstood some things." Billy was shivering. "I went looking for him so I could get him to calm down, but he was so upset, he turned it into a fight. I… he said some things, and…"

"Yes?" Gentle tone, no pressing. "What exactly did he say?"

"He was… he was talking about you." Billy bit his lip. "He kept saying that if it wasn't for me, you'd — you'd go around attacking everyone, basically."

Teddy paused. Then, he sighed. "He's not entirely wrong, though."

"Teddy!" Billy looked at him in shock. "You don't mean that!"

"If someone — if someone took you from me," he couldn't bring himself to voice his fears properly, but he knew Billy would understand anyway, "I would want revenge. I know it goes against all our principles, but I'm not good enough a person to forgive and forget that. You are my world, Bee; if I lost you, I would hunt down whoever was responsible and make them pay. I'm not saying it's right, because I know it's not, but it's the truth." He knew that rage, that uncontrollable anger born out of despair and fear, remembered it bright and clear like a burning flame. He still had nightmares about it, about Billy fading out of existence as Kang defied his own destiny, of his own hand never reaching its target as his claws dissolved into nothingness.

"That's not what he meant, though." Billy leaned into him, eyes closing tight. "He said… he said that if I wasn't here, you'd basically be nothing but a monster. Because —" he choked on the word, swallowed, and tried again, "because you're not human."

"And then what?" He still kept his voice gentle, reaching his free hand to take Billy's. He didn't comment on the words, knowing it would have been pointless. He wasn't human, no, but Billy would never believe otherwise.

"Then I attacked him." Again the whisper. "I shouldn't have, I never should have, but he kept talking and he wouldn't shut up, and I…" Billy hid his face in his free hand. "I attacked my own brother, Tee," he murmured. "I could have killed him, and I knew that, and I still attacked him."

"No, you couldn't have." He stroked the back of Billy's hand with his thumb. "You couldn't have, because your own powers wouldn't have let you. I know you, Billy, and I know what kind of a person you are. Your magic doesn't work if you don't truly mean it. No matter how angry you were at the time, there is no way you could have actually wished severe harm on Tommy."

"Even so, just the fact that I did it —"

"I'm not saying it was your most brilliant move ever," Teddy conceded. "I'm just saying it wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be. Tommy knows that, too; you know he does. He wouldn't have pushed you so far in the first place otherwise, not when he knows what you're capable of. He'll be back soon enough, you'll both apologize, and everything will be all right."

"No, it won't." Billy shuddered. "Maybe he wasn't so far off the mark," he murmured. "Except I'm the monster and you're the leash."

"Oh, Billy." Teddy swallowed. "You're not a monster, you never could be. You are my light, Bee."

Billy paused. "Ever notice how the biggest shadow in the room is always behind the lamp?"

"With hanging lamps, maybe. LEDs in the ceiling? Not so much." It wasn't a good joke, but it was the best he could offer right now. "Come on, baby, let's get you inside before everyone gets even more worried. You'll get a shower and some sleep and everything will look much better in the morning."

"I rather doubt that," Billy murmured, but let Teddy help him up and lead him inside. His hand clutched firmly onto Teddy's all the way, as though afraid he would soon disappear, too.

Teddy held on, and wished with all his might he could have actually made things all better.

*

He could have gotten there in a flash, of course, but by the time he found himself actually approaching the manor, it was nearly dark. He'd made some detours, not entirely sure where, not entirely sure he cared. Time was something of a blur, not the kind of pleasant, vibrant hum that came with speeding through the world faster than most people could ever even understand, nor the dull slow crawl that marched past his eyes when he momentarily managed to pretend he observed things as others did. He just wasn't sure where he'd been, what places he had visited, wasn't sure he cared.

It must have rained at some point, somewhere, because his hair was still dripping wet, cool rivulets running down his neck and making him shiver as they disappeared under his equally wet clothes. Or maybe he'd fallen into water; it seemed as though he could remember doing that at one point. Lapses in concentration were rather unforgiving over water. He'd tasted salt, fighting his way to the surface. The ocean, then. He wondered which one.

The gates were already closed against the approaching night, but that was of little consequence. Just the right vibration, and he was through. Perhaps it wasn't as cool as Shadowcat's or Vision's ability, perhaps he couldn't fly or walk in the air, but it was his way of doing things and that at least was cool.

Maybe he'd inherited it from his father. Wasn't that a thought.

He walked down the path, not bothering to run; it wasn't like he was in a hurry, or wanted time to be any slower than it already was. His focus was back, for the most part, forcing him to actually think, and the faster he went the more time he had for that. It was bad enough as it was.

'Professor?' He wasn't sure if he'd be heard. Sure, the old telepath had the range, but whether he was listening was another matter. Still, he didn't try again. Either he'd get a response, or he'd just knock at the door.

'Thomas?' There was a myriad of emotions hidden behind the simple word, and Tommy found himself wondering if others noticed those too, if it was as clear to everyone or if they passed by too quickly for most people to ever notice their presence. There was worry, most of all, and surprise at his arrival, a flash of pleasure that he would have turned to them before it was buried by guilt over such selfish thoughts. All that was gone as soon as it arrived, leaving behind just enough of a hint of concern for it to dwell on his mind.

'Nothing to worry about, Prof. No world-wide crisis or anything like that.' Well, not yet, at least. 'Think I can stay the night?'

'But of course, my dear boy. I'll send Kurt to meet you at the door, he'll show you to a guest room. Is there anything you need? Some dinner, perhaps?'

'A towel would be nice.' It was something of a relief, speaking with the professor, once he'd gotten over the weirdness of someone speaking inside his head. Thoughts were fast, much more so than words; when he spoke with the professor it didn't feel like he was waiting ages for the other to answer, didn't have to focus to decipher the slow rumbles that other people called speech.

He wondered if people's mental voices matched their physical ones. It was a nice thought, actually knowing someone's voice. He'd all but forgotten the ones he used to know, back when he'd still been normal, when the universe hadn't yet decided to punish him for sins committed long before he was born, in this form, anyway. It was a maudlin thought, and not one he wished to dwell on. Not now, when he was feeling shitty enough as it was.

As he had been promised, Kurt was waiting at the door, tail swishing about in a nervous manner as he peeked out through the half-opened door. As Tommy approached, he reached out a big, fluffy towel. Tommy accepted it with a nod of thanks, applying it to his hair with a vicious force. It didn't do much to warm him up, but at least he was making an effort.

"The professor said you wanted a room." Kurt hopped off some ways, then paused to wait. "There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry, now or later. Anything that isn't labeled by name is freely available, ah, I think you know the way, ja? Do pay a visit when you're feeling better, you can't have eaten much today."

Tommy raised an eyebrow between the folds of towel and strands of damp hair. "And how do you know that?"

Kurt chuckled, though it wasn't a happy sound. He was practically vibrating with nervous energy, taking the kind of restless little steps that marked someone who wasn't quite clear on what they wanted to do, but standing still wasn't it. Tommy could respect that. "You forget who I am, Mein Freund, and how many young faces I have seen over the years. The kind of look you have, people are not hungry, but they still need to eat."

"Well, yeah, still kind of hung on the not hungry bit." Though he knew he'd pay for it in the morning, his metabolism being what it was. Still, he didn't need to listen to this.

"Of course, I cannot force you to eat. Still, you will feel better if you do." Another hop, and he ended up on the rail of a staircase, leading Tommy up. "Believe me, I know this from experience."

"Oh?" He couldn't help but raise another eyebrow even as he followed Kurt through the mostly silent house. "And what would you angst over, then?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Kurt hopped ahead, blending in with the shadows in a corner, just his eyes and grinning teeth gleaming in the darkness. "Being ostracized by the mainstream society, always falling for the bad boy, shedding season. All the ordinary teenage stuff."

"Yeah, doesn't apply to me. I'll have you know I am the bad boy, thank you very much."

"Or so you would certainly have us believe." Kurt continued upwards. "Ordinarily the professor would wish to speak with you right away, I'm sure, but given the late hour, I think you'll have some reprieve until morning. Though by then, I'm sure everything will look better in any case."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Like hell it would.

But maybe in the morning, he'd actually know what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony don't exactly like what's going on, but then, it's not like they have a lot of choice. Meanwhile, Tommy talks with Logan, startles Kurt, teaches a bunch of mutant kids something important, and finally calls Kate.

"How come you can be so damn cheerful in the morning?"

"Hm?" Steve paused in his task of preparing breakfast — a very full, very balanced breakfast, with plenty to go around to everyone who got up in time for it instead of just sleeping the day away — and smiled at Tony. "What do you mean?" They were alone in the kitchen, Pepper having already left for SI and the others lingering in bed.

"This." Tony waved a hand at him, the other clutched protectively around a cup of steaming hot coffee. "You're so cheery, I'm half expecting you to start humming any moment now. Or maybe whistling. That might be more your style."

"It's not my fault that it's a nice day." Steve shrugged, flipping an egg. "I slept well, had a nice run, and there's plenty to eat. Why wouldn't I be cheerful?"

"Don't think you can get away with this by trying to guilt me with that 'oh gosh we're so fortunate to have our bellies full' crap, Rogers. It's not good and proper to be happy so early, and that's a fact."

"You don't get to lecture me on morning behavior." Steve brandished a spatula in what probably wasn't a very threatening manner. "Don't think I've forgotten all the times I've come into the workshop at seven in the morning to find you already smudged with oil and grease."

"Hey, I'm a grouchy old man. We're allowed, nay, required a certain amount of harmless hypocrisy a day. Us old geezers complaining is what makes the world go around."

"Grouchy I'll give you, but there's no way you're old. You are not allowed to call yourself that unless you want to hear me start reminiscing about all the technologies we didn't have back in my day."

"Except you're not allowed to do that unless you want me to start calling you grandpa." Tony paused, the hidden humor of his earlier words vanishing in an instant. "Charles called me."

"Professor Xavier?" Steve frowned. That wasn't exactly a unique occurrence, but Tony's expression wasn't exactly promising of good news. "What did he have to say?"

"Tommy turned up there last night. Wet and exhausted, but apparently in one piece. He apologized for not letting us know immediately, but he figured it was best to get some idea of what had happened, first."

Steve relaxed just a bit. "Right. Well, that's good to hear." He had been worried, of course he had been. Billy had told them how Tommy rushed out, and Kate and Billy had been quite shaken. Still, as Tony often reminded him, the children were actually not children anymore, and JARVIS had confirmed Tommy had at least had enough of a presence of mind to stop for his things before leaving, so obviously it hadn't been anything that required immediate intervention.

"Yeah. Charlie didn't give me any new details on what happened, but apparently, Tommy's planning to stay a while." Tony brought the coffee cup to his lips, then frowned down at it and turned to fill it. "Probably better that way, too. Let the kids have a moment to calm down, that sort of thing. I know you're a big proponent of Talking Things Out Like Adults," Steve could hear the capital letters, and that was ridiculous, he absolutely did not speak like that, "but sometimes it's a really bad idea to hop straight to the confrontation."

"Right." Steve sighed. "I just wish they'd at least let us know what's going on." They had fought, that much was clear, but nobody would tell them more than that. Even JARVIS was quiet, refusing to say anything more than what Tommy had specifically asked him to pass on.

"We'll find out eventually, I guess." Tony watched quietly as Steve filled up a plate for him, then snatched it away in the hand that wasn't holding a coffee cup. "So, speaking of things that could turn out ugly."

"If you don't like my cooking, you're welcome not to eat it."

"That's actually not what I was going for. And if you try to take my bacon, I will do something drastic." Tony shook his head. "Fury called me earlier."

"Oh?" Steve frowned. "Earlier this morning, or earlier last night?" Because while Tony could sometimes keep the worst things secret, he doubted even Tony would have concealed any critical information for longer than that.

"Last night. I didn't bring it up then because everyone seemed out of sorts, and besides I'm not sure I want the kids to know yet, anyway." Tony settled at the table, his eyes still following Steve as he filled another plate, leaving the rest of the prepared food for whoever showed up first. "Apparently, SHIELD has been receiving some pretty worrying reports."

"Oh?" Steve frowned as he headed for the fridge to get some orange juice. "Reports about what?"

"Someone's been sneaking around, stalking mutants." As Steve's eyes widened, Tony shook his head. "No, it's not quite that simple. Let me rephrase that. There are people SHIELD keeps in touch with who have unusual abilities but aren't either working for them or hiding at Xavier's. A couple of them have called in lately, saying they've been followed or watched by person or persons unknown. These are people who don't make much of a fuss about their powers, but aren't entirely hiding, either. A fortune teller who does a bit better than if she was simply cold reading, an artist whose portraits actually do follow you around the room with their gazes. Apparently those sell really well into haunted houses. Anyway, there's nothing that will bring in the mobs with torches and pitchforks, except now someone's taking an interest."

"So what do we do?" Because he didn't like the sound of this one bit.

"Us? Nothing, for now. At the moment Fury's got a couple of SHIELD agents keeping an eye on the situation, and isn't going to do anything more unless he sees a reason to. He wanted us to be aware, though. Which really isn't like good ol' Nick at all, but I suppose even he has to soften a bit sometimes. That or he's figured we're bound to cause much more trouble if we only find out when something bad finally happens."

"Right." Steve got his own food to the table. "And what are you going to do?"

Tony didn't even blink. "Upgrading all the security, for one. I thought I'd run it all by Hawkass and Natasha, get a professional opinion. I won't have as much as a mouse farting in this place without my knowing about it." He paused. "Well, without JARVIS knowing about it. I'm sure some of that can be filtered out before reaching me."

"I will use my best judgment, Sir." JARVIS's voice was calm as ever. "I would hardly trouble you with every last rodent emission."

"And this? This is why JARVIS is the best AI that ever AI'd. Which, by extension, makes me the best genius to ever genius, and Reed can kiss my pleasantly toned —"

"I think I get the picture." Why, yes, he had just cut Tony off.

"Prude." Tony paused. "Or rude. You get to pick."

"Please." Steve rolled his eyes, though he was fighting a small smirk. "Perhaps I just don't want to think about Doctor Richards anywhere near your posterior."

Tony blinked, then all but spit out the coffee he had just been drinking. "Oh, thanks for that," he groaned as he got over his moment of hacking and spluttering. "I won't ever be able to erase that mental image from my mind."

"Don't blame me. You are the one who brought it up." It was childish, of course, especially as the discussion then devolved into little more than constant teasing of each other, but sometimes, it did feel good to know there was someone he could joke with like that. It made him feel normal, almost, as though they weren't celebrity heroes living in an ultra-modern skyscraper of Tony's own design, ready to spring into action whenever the world decided it could not survive without them. Normal, and warm, and so very lucky as Tony gave him that amused gaze he only ever reserved to those who could get more than a derisive smirk or the perfect photo op smile out of him.

It didn't mean he forgot any of the bad things, of course. He was painfully aware of the children's woes as Kate arrived soon after Clint and Phil made their appearance, alone and looking as though she hadn't had much sleep. He also couldn't help but think of Fury's news, wondering what was going on and in how many different ways it could lead to something terrible. However, he also knew that his team, his family, was having enough trouble as it was, and while he could not solve all their problems for them the least he could do was be someone they could depend on, when they felt they needed it.

It was all he could do right now, anyway. Smile, and provide breakfast.

*

He might have said he found Logan by following the smell, but really, there wasn't really much of a point in pointing out the clues given how fast he could have combed through the entire grounds if he had been so inclined.

"Found you." He came to a stop at the edge of the woods, where Logan was leaning against a tree, lighting up a cigarette.

"Bravo. What do you want, a medal?" Logan rolled his eyes. "Or do you actually have a reason for bothering me?"

"Mostly? I wouldn't mind one of those." Not that he made a habit of it, but one every now and then could be relaxing. "That, and Kurt wanted to make sure you remember you're supposed to help the kids with making pizza tonight."

"Sure I remember. Why the hell do you think I need a break?" Logan grunted. "And I'm not sure I should be giving you one." And yet here he was, handing Tommy one of the cigarettes and even lighting it for him. Obviously his disapproval wasn't all that strict.

"Eh, don't worry. I'm old enough to take care of myself, and my metabolism will get rid of the stuff before I've finished it." Which he supposed was an upside, even if he sometimes did complain about his inability to get drunk. Not that he would have been drinking anyway, of course, being underage and all, now shut up mental Kate.

"I suppose there's that." Logan shrugged, then leaned back against the tree, blowing a cloud of smoke in the air. "I'm getting too used to dealing with brats day in, day out."

"Don't worry, I can be more than bratty enough." Tommy mimicked his pose against another tree. "That the reason you're out here? Not smoking around the kids?"

"If it was that, I'd just bark at anyone getting too close." Logan rolled his eyes. "It's just not worth the trouble of fighting with the elf."

"Ah. The nagging type?" He couldn't entirely hide his little smirk. What could he say? It was amusing to think of Wolverine giving in to absolutely anyone, for any reason.

"Sometimes. He's of the opinion I shouldn't smoke around the kids at all, so, it's easy enough to walk over here. Usually gets me a moment of peace and quiet, too." At this, he threw a meaningful glare in Tommy's direction, but it wasn't quite fierce enough for him to take it seriously.

"Kate keeps telling me I shouldn't indulge no matter what. Apparently she still hasn't realized I'm much more likely to end my days splattered on the sidewalk than wasting away in a hospital somewhere."

"Eh, Kurt isn't too worried about that. He knows nothing can kill me, certainly not a smoke break every now and then." Logan paused. "The rest of your family aren't getting on your case? I wouldn't imagine the good and mighty Captain is a big fan."

"Funny thing, he's the one least bothered by it. Grew up before people realized it might be a bad idea and all that." Tommy gave a small shrug. "Tony just mainly keeps telling me substance addictions in general are a pretty bad idea, he should know, and I suppose he has the right to say that, considering. Billy and Teddy… well. Not really something I bring up around them." As Logan threw him a mildly curious gaze, he made a face. "Far as I've understood, Teddy's father died of cancer. Not that he ever knew him, he only met the man once or so, but still. Guess that when you've spent your whole life knowing that's the reason you haven't got a dad, something tends to stick. And, well, Billy frets over the stupidest things sometimes, don't really want to give him another reason."

"Fair enough, I suppose." There was silence for a moment, again, not that Tommy minded much. "You'd do a lot for them, huh."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Which obviously needed some clarification. "In this world, I mean. And, well, I suppose here, too. Not many people I mind offending enough that I'd make myself scarce. Anyone else, I'd stick around and rub it in their faces." Hey, he had never claimed to be a nice guy.

"Guess that's something." Logan's eyes drifted to the sky. "Not really my thing, teams."

"Didn't think it'd be mine, either." Had never thought so, until he was proved wrong. "They broke me out of a total hellhole, then told me I wouldn't get to stick around if I went the villain route. And then they basically took me in without question, and Billy treated me like family before we actually knew we were. It was quite a change from having my parents sell me off."

"I suppose it would be. And now you pissed them off?"

"Billy, at least." In the worst way possible, too. "Said some really stupid shit. In my defense I was upset, but that doesn't really matter when it wasn't he who upset me. Not sure it'd matter if it had been, for that matter. And Kate… well." He lifted one shoulder in a helpless little shrug. "Frankly, I'm not sure it'd be a good idea for me to be there right now."

"Your call." Logan grunted. "You serious with her?"

"As serious as I'm capable of being, I suppose. What can I say? I move fast. That, and she's… well. I'd say my salvation, but that'd get too sappy."

"I know the type." And now, wasn't that an interesting statement. "Someone you'd die for?"

"Pretty sure I lost the right to make that distinction when I signed up for this hero business. Not much of a point in stating that when I deal with the daily prospect of dying for a complete stranger just because they were stupid enough to almost get killed by deranged megalomaniacs." He paused, taking a thoughtful pull of his cigarette. "Nah. She's… someone I'd kill for. Not just to protect her or whatever; for her, I'd straight up murder someone in cold blood if she asked me to." It was probably for the best she never would. Well, he didn't think she would.

"That's a pretty hefty claim to make."

"I've been led to believe it's a part of having big feelings for someone, making stupid claims. Not that, you know, I have those. Emotions, I mean. Total waste of time, the whole thing."

"Obviously." Logan's smirk didn't exactly make him seem convinced, but Tommy was willing to let it slide just this once. "She must be pretty desperate if she's willing to date you when you obviously have no feelings for her whatsoever."

"I already told her that if she ever wants an actual proposal, she's going to have to do it herself. She didn't run off at that, so I like to think I'm good." Of course, there was the question of whether she felt enough for him. Not really something he wished to linger on, though.

"It's not a bad sign, at least." Logan fell silent, and Tommy followed suit. Neither of them said a word more until Logan finally dropped his cigarette to the ground, grinding the stub under his heel.

"So." He stretched himself. "You too busy sulking, or are you going to volunteer to help with the pizza adventure? It's going to be a total mess, too many brats working at once never turns out well."

"On one condition." Tommy gave Logan his best shit-eating grin. "Do I get to see you slice something up with those claws?"

"Sure. Now get your pretty little ass moving and it might be tomatoes instead of you."

"Please. Like you could ever catch me." Like anyone could ever catch him.

Not unless he wanted to be caught, anyway.

*

In a way, Kurt supposed it made sense he would find Tommy on the roof.

It wasn't exactly an ordinary place for people to hide, but it did offer solitude if so desired. He came up there himself, sometimes, when the weather was nice and he wanted some peace and quiet. Even a very friendly person could sometimes get enough of people, never mind a relatively grouchy young man who was going through some rather bad times. And, well, Tommy did live on top of the Avengers Tower. Even this must have been rather close to the ground for him.

"Should I even ask how you made your way up here?" He bounced over the edge of the roof without much effort, walking up to where Tommy was lying on the roof, hands folded behind his head. As he got closer, the boy sat up, still looking somewhat relaxed.

"How else? I ran up the wall." Tommy gave him a small smirk. "Gravity may be harsh, but if you're fast enough, it won't be catching up."

"A somewhat unsettling thought, I might say." Kurt sat down next to him. "And is that why you are here? Proving your superiority to the forces of nature?"

"Actually, I was having a nap. But hey, if you're offering me an excuse, I'll take it." Tommy stifled a yawn that Kurt suspected was more for show than anything. "So, you come up here for the view?"

"Looking for you, as it happens." Kurt shrugged. "The Professor may or may not have tipped me off as to your general direction."

"Typical." Tommy stretched himself. "So why'd you look for me, anyway? I know my presence is great and enjoyable all on its own, but it still seems rather strange you'd come up here looking for little old me."

"Actually, I was hoping to ask you for a favor."

Tommy lifted his eyebrows. "Is it going to get me in trouble?"

"I do think that would be unlikely." Kurt smiled. "At least, not unless you improvise in some rather very creative ways."

"Damn, I was hoping for some entertainment. Well, I'm listening anyway."

"You know I teach the children Mutant Studies, ja?" Along with pitching in wherever necessary, particularly if it involved something exciting, but that was beside the point. "About mutants in general, and how to use their powers, and how to fit in with the society." And sometimes he did wonder just what the Professor had been thinking when assigning him of all people to such a class, but then he certainly did have experience in such things.

"Yeah, I'd heard something along those lines." Tommy shrugged. "What about it?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you would agree to give a talk in one of my classes."

Tommy's eyebrows shot even higher this time. "And what exactly would I talk to them about?"

"Whatever you wish, really; I didn't have a specific topic in mind. You have plenty of experience in fields they might benefit from. Learning to use your powers, perhaps, or even the realities of being a hero. A number of them have taken quite a shine to the Avengers, and while there is certainly nothing wrong with that, the Professor seems worried sometimes that they don't fully realize the dangers involved. There's a reason he opted not to teach the children to fight beyond strict self-defense."

"You mean a reason he's keeping them well away from SHIELD." And of course he would arrive to that conclusion quickly.

"More or less, yes." Kurt sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Charles concedes SHIELD is the least bad alternative, in that Fury at least tries to head toward the greatest good, but we are under no illusions that SHIELD also involves making certain, ah, sacrifices as necessary. And we don't want our kids to become those sacrifices. Hell, we don't even want them to become weapons, willing or no. If Professor had his way, each one of the kids would lead harmless, peaceful lives without any conflict, but the reality is, some of them will want to take part in the fight."

"And, what? Avengers are the best case scenario?"

"More or less, yes. We trust that you at least subscribe to certain basic morals, and any sacrifices that might be made would be the choice of those who make them, not someone ordering them to."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it works." Tommy's face turned hard to read for a moment, something like wistfulness flashing over his features before disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. "And what if even after all my lectures they still want to become heroes when they grow up?"

"Then at least we can hope they will apply for your team instead of SHIELD or worse." Kurt gave him a half-hearted smirk. "Of course, if you think there is any other topic you might want to speak about, feel free. As long as it's in any way relevant for them to learn, I would be grateful for your assistance."

"I'll think about it, I suppose." Tommy shrugged. "You know, this is kind of backwards. Where we come from, Professor X led one of the first super-powered teams, made up of his students. From what I understand he was hoping to gain acceptance. Of course, people being people, that just made mutants seem more dangerous."

"I can see how that would backfire, yes. But still, it is something the Professor might well have done, had he not had such bad experiences." Kurt grimaced. "Here… well. We haven't had mutants for very long, not in great numbers, anyway. Pietro and Wanda were some of the first who didn't grow up thinking they were all alone in the world." He sighed. "I don't think they were hoping to gain worth as they joined SHIELD; mostly they were concerned with stopping their father."

"And we all know how well that went." Tommy stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I can see how the Professor wouldn't want to try again after what happened with them. But then, there seem to be more and more super-powered criminals all the time. I'm not saying all your kids should learn to fight for their lives, but if some of them want that, well, they won't be lacking in job opportunities."

"I suppose not, no. I can only hope we can steer them to make the right decisions in who they wish to join forces with."

"You know, you could try and add some fighting to the curriculum. Don't take me wrong," Tommy said quickly as Kurt frowned and started to respond, "I'm not saying you should train them as child soldiers or something equally fucked up. Just, you know, maybe some martial arts beyond self-defense in PE, exploring the offensive potential of their powers. Only for those who are interested in that kind of thing, of course. The Professor won't like the idea, I'm sure, but since some of them are going to be interested in that stuff anyway, I'd rather see them learn in a controlled environment with teachers who want them to be safe than rushing out in an actual fight and doing more damage than they mean to." Tommy gave him a wry smile. "Trust me, someone who has potentially lethal powers but doesn't have experience with the darker side is much more likely to kill another person or themselves than someone who knows what they're doing."

"You are right in that, of course." Kurt sighed. "I could suggest that to the Professor, but I'm not sure how well he'll take to that."

"It's worth a try, at least." Tommy shrugged. "Hell, regular kids go for things like martial arts and archery clubs sometimes, and most of them turn out just fine. If they're going to run off and play heroes they're going to do it anyway; might have them at least prepared for it, hmm?"

Now, Kurt smirked. "Look out. With that kind of a philosophy, the Professor might have you doing Sex Ed instead."

"My biological father was an android and my girlfriend tames unicorns. I'm really not sure I'm an ideal candidate to be talking to anyone about human reproduction or avoiding the reproducing parts thereof."

"Yeah, that's as good an excuse as you're going to get, I think." Kurt frowned. "I probably shouldn't be asking this, particularly as someone who literally has two mothers, but how can an android be a biological anything?"

"The same way I can technically be the third incarnation of myself. When one of the more magically inclined members of the family wishes something really, really hard, it tends to happen, regardless of what the rest of the universe might think about it." The humor of moments before vanished from Tommy's face, replaced with a kind of wistful annoyance that made Kurt wince.

"Ah, right, magic. I suppose that would explain it." He paused. "Sorry for bringing that up."

"Eh. Not your fault if I'm stupid enough to fight with one of the very few people who actually don't seem to think I'm a completely lost cause." Tommy's expression twitched momentarily, before he stood up, a somewhat forced grin taking over his face. "So. You really want me to talk to your kids?"

"If you could, ja. They're all rather interested in you, so I thought it'd be good to take advantage of that."

"Right. What time tomorrow?" At his surprised expression, Tommy's grin grew a bit more believable. "What? I move fast in everything."

"Noon? My class then has kids who have covered all the basics." The kids were mostly separated into classes by age, of course, but for most of his classes, the significant factor was how long they had been at Xavier's. After all, none of them had any prior experience with the subject.

"Noon it is, then. I'll think of something appropriate to say that won't have Steve showing up with profound apologies for my unforgivable corruption of the youth of today." Tommy stretched his arms up over his head, then stepped to the edge of the roof. "And on that note, I think I'm going to step out for some snacks. There's this nice lady with a corner shop in LA who always slips me an extra candy bar because I saved her kitten while passing by once."

"So, out of curiosity," Kurt said as Tommy stood by the edge of the roof. "Are you going to run down the wall, now?" He was just going to ignore the comment about crossing a continent for snack food. It was safer that way.

"That would be kind of tricky. It's much easier to overcome gravity than to counteract almost but not quite all of it." Tommy threw him a grin over his shoulder. "Say. How much force do you think it's going to take to push me forward at the speeds that I regularly run at?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Physics really isn't my department, but I'd guess a lot."

"Close enough. Now, do you really think that's greater than the force that gravity can put on me at a few stories?" And, before Kurt could respond, he leaped off.

Kurt rushed to the edge of the roof, peering down with dread. Instead of whatever horrific injury he had imagined, he found Tommy grinning up at him, quite unharmed by the looks of it. Kurt suppressed a growl and teleported down to the ground, not wasting time climbing down the wall. "You almost gave me a heart attack, you brat!" Okay, perhaps he was spending a little too much time with Logan. Or perhaps it was simply called for in this situation.

"Sorry, sorry!" Tommy chuckled, stepping back, leaving deep footprints on the ground but no other traces of his stunt. "See, I wouldn't want to run into a wall at my top speed, but my feet? Can take a lot more punishment than my face."

"Just don't do that near where the kids can see," Kurt sighed. He was pretty sure he could feel his fur bristling, not that it would have been visible with how short it was. "The last thing we want them to do is get ideas for stupid stunts."

"Oh, come on, you can't be that old yet." Tommy tilted his head, radiating innocence that was about as genuine as Bobby's imaginary online girlfriend in Canada. "Kids don't need bad ideas. Getting bad ideas all on your own is what youth is all about." And with that and a grin, he was off faster than Kurt's eyes could follow.

"Either this was a really bad idea," he murmured to himself, "or a really, really good one." He wasn't sure which one, but he'd definitely find out.

And in the meantime, well, at least there was some entertainment to be had.

*

The thing was, Tommy noted, school worked pretty much the same no matter where you went. Oh, there were teeny tiny differences, like curriculum and class organization and teaching methods and whatnot, but even here, in a mutant boarding school in the middle of the nowhere that was Westchester, the kids worked the same way his own old class had whenever they'd had a special guest. There was the usual chatter as they got into the classroom, which then turned into a more topical murmur as they noticed him standing by the teacher's desk. Curious gazes, hissed comments, the works. Sure, they all recognized him by now, but that didn't mean they had expected to see him at the front of their class.

"All right, settle down, please." And here was Kurt, actually sounding pretty authoritative, sending the last stragglers scurrying for their desks. "I know this isn't quite what the class schedule says, but I thought we could take advantage of our guest here." He indicated Tommy, who gave a lazy wave. "I believe you all know Tommy Stark, or Speed. Today, instead of listening to me chatter on as usual, you'll get to hear some of his experiences."

"Hi, kids." Tommy flashed the class a grin. Mostly middle school kids by the looks of it. "I promise I'll try not to speak too fast. I also won't give you a quiz, though I make no promises for good old furball here."

"That'll depend on what exactly you tell them, I'd think." Kurt returned his grin, then disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing at the back of the class. "The stage is yours."

Well. Apparently he was actually doing this. "So, I'm here to talk to you about a pretty difficult thing." Tommy leaned back against the desk, folding his arms across his chest. Hey, just because he was technically an adult and temporarily assuming a position of authority didn't mean he had to be all formal and uncomfortable. "Namely, I want to tell you why I do not hate humans."

"Why would you?" asked one particularly innocent-looking girl, blinking at him. "Your dad's a human, isn't he?"

"Indeed he is." Tommy shook his head. "However, you all know I didn't grow up with him. Before that, there were some rather… difficult circumstances." Most of which he hoped these kids would never come to understand in any capacity. "Short story short, I didn't always live with my dad. Hell, I didn't even always live with my brother. Once upon a time, I was in the wrong family, and I don't just mean that they're definitely not the parents I got my genes from, mutant and otherwise. They were… wrong, in every sense of the word. Oh, fine, upstanding citizens, of course. Human, too. Not a drop of mutant in them."

Nobody asked questions as he paused, watching him intently for some kind of continuation. His eyes drifted to the back of the class, where Kurt had hopped up on top of the bookshelf. The furball looked back at him, giving a minute nod. Well, he supposed that was as much encouragement as he was likely to get, here.

"They sold me out." Hey, no point in hedging around the truth. "When my mutant powers showed up, I caused some destruction. More than I meant to, certainly; it's not like I knew what I could do. Of course, that meant there would be consequences. The sad thing is, that doesn't always mean the consequences will be fair."

"What happened?" Another wide-eyed kid, which was made twice as disconcerting by the fact that his eyes numbered four. "Were you hurt?"

"I was locked up is what happened. Kept in a cell. Experimented on, by humans who didn't think I deserved the name. And to top off that little crap cake with a shitty cherry, my parents signed off on it." It probably wasn't the kind of language he was supposed to be using, but some things just didn't work without some minor vulgarity. "I guess they were glad to be rid of me; I never really had the opportunity or inclination to ask. What I do know is that after the doors of that place closed behind me, neither of them ever came to see me or even asked about me again."

Gasps of horror and shock flowed through his audience. Kurt merely frowned, the tip of his tail swishing in a nervous manner. Yeah, he'd never said the things he was going to say were nice.

"My brother and friends broke me out of there," he continued, his tone subdued, but then the kids were all silent as mice. "And other shit happened, too, to every one of us. There were humans who tried to kill us, just for being who we were. My brother had his powers stolen from him, had to watch as a psycho cut his boyfriend open simply because he wasn't considered human." And wasn't that just a nice, fresh perspective on his own personal betrayal. "So, yeah. A lot of people would say it'd be perfectly understandable for me to hate all humans."

"But you don't." Hey, at least someone had listened from the beginning. How about that. "Why not? That's — that's all horrible!"

"Because, kids, there's something I realized over time. Something that's very important for you all to realize, or you won't make it far in the world." He finally pushed himself away from the desk, standing up straight. "There's no us versus them. No mutants versus humans, not even the different versus those who are all similar. You can't start drawing up those lines, because if you do, you're never going to stop. Say I decide anyone but mutants is terrible. So where does Hulkling stand? You see, a little secret here, he's not actually a mutant. He's not human, though, so is he one of us? One of them? What about Thor? Cap is stronger than any pure human could ever be. Does that make him one of us, or one of them? Who counts as a mutant, anyway? Is it only those who can't hide their powers and have to face the persecution? What about people who don't have powers but can pass on the gene? It's a never-ending swamp, and you'll just sink in deeper until you're never coming up for air again."

"But humans hurt you so bad," a young girl whispered. "Why aren't you angry?"

"Who said I'm not angry?" Tommy threw his arms out. "I was angry. Furious, in fact. Still am, on some level, but back then especially. The moment I got broken out, I was planning to blow them all up for what they did to me and others. They wanted to turn me into a weapon, didn't they? Surely it would have been quite fitting for me to show just how well they succeeded."

"But you didn't." Hey, what was it, opposite day?

"I didn't. At first, it was just because my new friends told me they were there to find a hero, not a villain. But then, I realized something else." Tommy shook his head. "I wasn't hurt by humans. I was only hurt by some humans, the scum, the ones who weren't good enough to be scraped off the sole of my shoe. And there were other humans, ones who helped me, liked me, became my friends. People I trusted with my life more times than I cared to count." People he loved, not that they would have liked to hear that. "They had as little to do with those bastards as I did with a piece of moldy cheese in the fridge. And all the same, it wasn't like all mutants are just misunderstood little saints, either. There are those who have tried to use their powers for evil, and those who will try to do so. Those who would gladly see the world burn and toast some marshmallows while they're at it. If I chose to hate humans for what a few of them had done to me, I would be saying that all those maniacal murdering mutants were better than the friends I trusted with my life, just by the accident of being born the same as me."

"But that's the same that they think."

"An astute observation, my young friend." Tommy grinned. "Indeed it is. See, that was my final realization. That if I hated humans just for being humans, I would be no better than those who hated me for being a mutant. That doesn't mean I have to instantly forgive any insult or injury, nor that I always take the high road. I'm allowed to feel hurt and angry, I'm allowed to defend myself, whether the injuries are physical or not. I'm allowed not to spend time with people who hurt me, I don't have to put up with shit like that just to be nice. If anyone tries to harm me or those close to me, you can be damn well sure I'll stop them at any cost. What I don't allow myself to do, however, is hate anyone but those who actually hurt me. I'll never do that, and there's a reason for it."

"And what's that reason?" This time it was Kurt who asked the question, though from the look on his face Tommy got the feeling he already knew the answer.

"There are people in this world, and other worlds besides, who think I'm a monster." His voice was barely a whisper, and yet it seemed to echo in the hushed classroom. "People who think I'm not worth even the most basic consideration, that I should have no rights, that nobody should consider me anything more than a wild animal. Those people think my best place would be either dead or kept tightly on a leash, used as a weapon for whatever purpose they deem acceptable. Those people, I do hate. But if I allowed that to spill out? If I let myself hate everyone who is different from me, let myself act on that hatred?" He shook his head. "If I let that happen, I might have just as well proved them right."

"Thank you, Tommy." Kurt's voice was quiet and serious, somewhat at odds with the way he came up to the front of the classroom in a couple of rather acrobatic leaps. "Well, then. I know we've barely started, but I'm sure we've all got a lot to think about. How about I dismiss the class and your homework for tomorrow is to write down whatever thoughts you have regarding this particular topic?"

The kids gathered up their things, murmuring amongst themselves as they filed out of the class, a few sparing glances back at him. Kurt waited until the last of them were gone until turning towards Tommy. "That was… well." He shook his head. "It was interesting, to say the least."

"I never promised I'd talk about anything pretty."

"Indeed you didn't, and I'm glad for that. To be honest, I think this might just be the most important lesson they're going to have all year." Kurt smiled. "Thank you. That probably wasn't very easy to talk about."

"Honestly, I feel like I hardly have room to complain." Tommy sighed. "I mean, yeah, what happened to me was shitty, but then I came over here and now I'm a superstar. And at least it means there aren't a lot of people I miss from back there." No, he just came all the way to another world just to leave more people behind.

"I would say you have plenty to complain about."

"Oh, please." Tommy ran a hand through his hair. "Half the kids here can't take one step out the gates without people pointing and staring." He didn't say anything about Kurt himself. That would have been quite unnecessary. "Me, nobody would know I'm a mutant if I hadn't, you know, come out and said so on national TV. Even now, as long as nobody happens to recognize me, I can go about my business without a problem as long as I make sure to stick to human speed. And when I do use my powers, it's more likely to impress people than make anyone run away screaming. Really, whatever's happened in the past, at the moment there's very little I can complain about."

"That's not a bad thing, though." Kurt had taken a perch on his desk, and really, was that in any way appropriate behavior for a teacher? "Right now, we need people like that. It might not be fair or good, but if we want mutants to be accepted, we need people like you who can show everyone we are not scary or dangerous. Yes, the rest of us must follow, but the sad reality is, baby steps will be more likely to get us to our goal."

"And that's both unfair and ridiculous, because mutants don't really come much more dangerous than Billy and me. Not that I'm complaining that people aren't treating him like a person of mass destruction anymore, but what I mean is, you really can't judge by appearances. That kid you've got in the youngest class with feathers and a chicken head and everything? Calls himself Beak? Never met a more harmless and friendly kid in my life, but you just know people would yell monster at him."

"Which is why we need to do that work, little by little. It may not be fair that you are more easily accepted than young Beak, but you are the first step. You impress people, and then it's easier for the rest of us to follow."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think it's ever going to be safe for Logan to go out in the open." Tommy flashed him a grin. "Not to offend your taste or whatever, but he can be kind of ornery."

Kurt smirked back at him. "You're telling me." Then, he turned more serious. "Really, though, thank you. I meant it when I said the kids probably learned something important today."

"Hey, I got to use bad words at a class full of impressionable teens and still claim to be a good guy. That's pretty awesome to me."

"I suppose I should warn you, though." Kurt's tail swished a bit, but he was still smiling. "Once word gets around, you might be asked to speak to more kids. I certainly wouldn't mind if you spoke to my other classes as well."

"Long as they don't mind my language, I suppose I could manage that." Tommy glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, goody, still plenty of time. Hope you don't mind if I dash, I kinda promised Rogue to show how to break the DDR game and I want to make sure the wires are in order for our showdown today."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Rogue?"

"Ah, right. Anna Marie. You know, your sister? I kinda maybe called her by other world code name by accident and she seemed to like it."

"Of course she would." Kurt gave an exaggerated sigh. "Do I even want to know what name I used back there?"

"Hmm… no, not really." With one last flash of a grin, Tommy dashed out. He supposed he'd get interrogated sooner or later, or Kurt would just ask the Professor for his otherworldly notes, but right now, he'd take the tiny opportunity for teasing.

Anything to distract himself from darker thoughts right now.

*

For all that she had been waiting for the call, at first she almost missed it.

In her defense, she had been playing just then, with her cell phone set on silent. It was only by chance that she had happened to glance its way and see the screen lighting up, showing a call arriving.

Even then, she would have ignored it, had it not been for the smirking face of Tommy appearing on the screen.

For all that she almost wanted to throw everything else out of her hands and dive for the phone, she did have enough of a presence of mind to carefully set her cello and bow aside before taking the phone, trying to ignore the way her hands very nearly trembled as she answered. "Tommy?"

"Hi there, gorgeous." And it was him, sure enough, with just enough teasing in his voice to help her fight the threat of tears with indignation. Then, knowing him, he might well have done that on purpose. "Miss me?"

"You've been away for three days, Tommy. That's not exactly a record."

"Yeah, well, you did try to call me, though."

"Once or twice."

"Seven times, says my phone here." Tommy paused, a long silence for someone like him. "Sorry."

"For what?" Not that she was going to claim he had nothing to apologize for, but it was probably better to clarify things.

"For not pausing to listen to you. For running off." Tommy sighed. "For fucking it up with Billy."

"He's still pretty upset, you know." She wrapped one arm around herself. "He's managed to convince himself he drove you away for good."

"Yeah, not likely to happen." Tommy sighed. "Tell him to stop blaming himself for my being an ass."

"He's rather hung on the 'attacked you' part. And no, the fact that you were more or less unharmed doesn't matter here. It's the principle of the thing for some of us."

"Still not his fault." If she closed her eyes, she could almost see his wry expression. "I was pushing him, and I was doing it on purpose. I wouldn't have stopped before he gave me an excuse to flee, and it's useless to say he should have resisted, because everyone's got their limit. And the thing about being pretty close to him is, I know exactly where to push to find them."

"Actually, that doesn't surprise me." She sighed. "Why'd you do that? I know you weren't actually angry with him, so why did you want to punish him?" Punish me if you must, was what she did not say, but the thought did cross her mind. "He hasn't done anything to you."

"I told you, I needed an excuse. If someone else had come after me, I probably would have done the same. It was easier with Billy, but really, I just wanted a reason to run off."

"Why, though?" Not something she wanted to ask, but she needed to, anyway. "You've never had a problem running away before."

"…Because I didn't want you to think I was running from you."

"Except that's what you were doing, in the end." Kate swallowed. "Tommy, about what you heard —"

"Can't we just forget about that?"

"No, we can't. Because there's something I need to make clear." She paused a second, trying to find the words. "Tommy… I want you. I'm not going to be exchanging you for someone else, no matter what. What I said to Billy… I meant that things are more difficult with you, because I care about you."

"Sounds to me like it'd be better for you if you did trade me for a better model."

"Easier isn't the same as better." Her hand held the phone just a bit tighter. "Tommy, I'm not —"

"It's not the reason, anyway." Ah, a diversion. Usually she would have called him out on it, but for now, she allowed him to go on. Perhaps that was cowardly of her, but right now, it was difficult enough as it was. "Not the only one, anyway."

"Then please, enlighten me. What else is there?"

"I just… realized something." Tommy sighed, and this was his sincere voice, without any hint of sarcasm or bravado. It wasn't often that even she heard it. "I don't have anywhere to be."

"You know that's not true."

"It is, though." Another sigh. "It's… I try to ignore it, but it's getting clearer. The rest of you guys, you have your places, in the team and otherwise. You're the leader on the field when we're out without Steve or Tony, or if the group has to split. Billy's getting good enough that SHIELD bothers him about magic when Strange isn't around, and even when he doesn't have the knowledge, he can usually do at least something useful. Teddy's our best PR face after Steve and everyone knows it, and he and Billy are so deeply in love it's honestly sickening. Me, though, I'm nothing."

"Don't be ridiculous, Tommy." Because that just made no sense whatsoever. "You know that's not true."

"Oh? Then who am I? What am I?" Without giving her the time to try and come up with an answer, he hurried on. "I don't know what I'm doing with my life, Katie. You all have plans for the future, you've got a role in the team that's only going to get stronger. Me, I'm just a guy who runs around and makes things go boom. And while that's fun enough, I can't exactly spend the rest of my life acting like I did at fifteen."

"Is that what this is about, then? You trying to figure out your purpose in life, or whatever?"

"A bit of that. A bit of giving us both some distance. A bit of being angry at myself for not being able to protect you. And before you get all indignant about how you can take care of yourself, I know that. Doesn't mean I like it when you end up crying in the middle of a stupid mission with a stupid overgrown pony."

"I'm not exactly a fan of it, myself." Kate sighed. "So. You think you'll find your purpose at Xavier's?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. At least for now, I'm doing something different. Don't know if it's going to have any results, but it's the best I can do right now." A beat of silence, and then, "And at least now, I can't hurt you."

"Tommy, that's not —" However, before she could get any further, the line went dead. She stared at the darkening phone for a moment.

This was stupid. Stupid Tommy, stupid situation. Stupid her, for getting so twisted up in it.

Her fingers moved over the screen almost of their own accord, typing up the text message and sending it off before she could think better of it. _'I hope you realize the only reason I haven't come over to drag your ass back home is the fact the Professor would disapprove of all the inevitable swearing around the kids.'_ Which wasn't entirely true, but she knew he would get the point anyway.

The text came almost instantly, faster than anyone else could have typed it up. _'When did I ever ask for your opinion?'_

It should have annoyed her, offended her, even, but instead all she could do was smile faintly at the screen until it darkened of its own accord. When, indeed. And yet, he had always come back to her in the end.

Hopefully, the trend would continue.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has something for Tommy to do, but then, so does the Professor. Too bad Tommy knows absolutely nothing about dealing with kids, as he well knows. Back in the Tower, Billy is bored, which Pepper takes as an opportunity to usher the sweet couple into actually doing some wedding planning. And while everyone else is being domestic, Tony meets with a terrorist...

"JARVIS." Tony strode into his workshop, tearing away the tie he had been forced into wearing when Pepper had decided he'd been avoiding personal appearances at the SI for too long. Not that he minded formal wear, really, but it had its time and place, and tinkering around in his workshop was neither. "Is this a bad time to call Tommy?"

"I am not quite sure what you mean, Sir."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the somewhat lofty tone. "Really? I'd have thought it'd be a pretty simple question. I know teenagers don't exactly prescribe to so-called human schedules if they can help it, but then that boy never had the most ordinary understanding of time to begin with."

"Are you in fact suggesting," JARVIS's tone was so devoid of any offense that it practically radiated it, "that I might have insinuated myself onto the cell phones or similar devices of Avengers team members, there to monitor their activities even when they are otherwise outside my immediate sphere of influence?"

"Never crossed my mind, JARVIS." Tony paused. "Have you?"

"I'm sure I couldn't say, Sir."

"Of course you couldn't." He unbuttoned the oh so sharp shirt he had been wearing over his undershirt, throwing it over the back of the closest chair. Pepper would have disapproved, but then she would have liked it even less if he had managed to ruin it in the workshop, and there was this new armor plate design he was simply dying to try out. "I was just thinking that you've probably been observing him long enough, you could make an educated guess on whether he's asleep yet."

"Very well, Sir." JARVIS made him wait just long enough that he almost asked again, then finally deigned to answer, "I do believe this would be an acceptable time for a call."

"Right. Well, how about you call him for me?" There were days when Tony wasn't sure if he was and idiot or genius for having designed an AI that, on occasion, took the piss out of him. …Genius, definitely. He would not accept anything else.

"Calling him now, Sir." And, indeed, only a moment later the background hum of machinery was replaced by Tommy's voice.

"So, you got a particular reason for bugging me?"

"Just thought I'd better keep in touch, Junior." Tony's lips twitched as he brought up the blueprints for his new design. There were some last-minute tweaks he needed to do before getting started on the practical side of things. "I heard you called Kate at last."

"Right." There was a softer tone to Tommy's voice Tony was fairly sure the boy himself wasn't aware of. He would have done his best to conceal it if he'd known. "Figured I'd best let her know I hadn't actually run out on her."

"Well, sorry to break the bad news, but technically that's what you did." What? He'd never claimed to have much of a grasp on social niceties. Not unless he was lying to someone, anyway. "You know, what with the whole 'overhearing things and rushing out' bit? I'm pretty sure that qualifies."

"There's running out and running out, though." And didn't he know that all too damn well. "Wanted to make sure she knew which one this was."

"Probably better that way." Tony paused. "A woman who'll put up with your shit is worth just about anything, you know. Take it from the master, that's not something to be thrown away." At the very least, he was a master at losing the good things.

"I know." Tommy sighed. "Just. Having trouble processing everything right now."

"So I've gathered." He frowned at his designs, tweaking a few of the more detailed parameters. "So, what's the plan right now? Coming home any time soon?"

"I think I'll stay here for a bit longer, actually." Well. That was somewhat unexpected. "Don't think I should be around right now."

This time, the frown was not at a misplaced number in his figures. "If this is about your fight with Billy —"

"It's not." A lie, and he pointed out as much. "Okay, it is, but not just about that. It's, well, it's complicated, okay? And I think this is something I need to figure out on my own."

"If you say so." Not that he expected the boy to actually stay away past the end of the week. "You know he misses you."

"I wouldn't be surprised. He never did know what's best for him." He could practically see the wry smile on Tommy's face. "You can tell him not to fret. I'm actually helping with the school, amazing though that is. Well, what little I can do, anyway. Got to keep myself occupied somehow."

"Actually, that's part of why I called." About time to get down to business. "Not the school, that is, but keeping yourself occupied. Truth is, there's something I want you to do for me."

"Shoot." Great, no arguing before he'd even said what he wanted.

"You know my plans for the wedding gift." Of course he did, Tony had run it past just about everyone but the happy couple to make sure it wasn't something terribly offensive or doomed to failure. Pepper had been rather thorough in enlightening him as to his total lack of sense when it gave to presents, and he really, really didn't want to fuck up his son's wedding present. Unlike birthdays and Christmas, that wasn't exactly something he'd get a do-over on. Hopefully not, at least.

"I'm aware, yeah." Now there was a slight hint of wariness to Tommy's voice. "The Professor's mentioned it once or twice, actually. He seems pretty taken with it."

"Yeah, Charles and I have been talking about it a lot. And the thing is, we need someone to head the actual project. Charles is busy enough with the school as it is, and even if I had the time, my even trying would not exactly be the most PC move ever. There's enough privileged white men trying to speak for minorities as it is, I don't need that on top of all my other sins." As Pepper and Rhodey had gently but firmly reminded him.

"So you need a mutant spokesperson." Still sounding wary. At least he wasn't stupid, that was always a bonus. "And where exactly do I come in?"

"I want you to contact someone for me." Tony waited a second, but there weren't any questions, which in itself was more or less a demand for clarifications. "A certain someone who has demonstrated a passion for mutant affairs, and doesn't seem too busy with anything else right now."

"Right." And now the wariness gave way for pure suspicion. "And why exactly do you think I'd have any way of contacting him?"

"I'm not an idiot, kid. And while neither I nor JARVIS can see everything, I'm forced to draw certain conclusions when there's some sort of electromagnetic disturbance while the whole team is out, tracing a path of momentary surveillance lapses through the Tower and back again."

"I'd think that's cause for alarm, not guesswork."

Which was precisely why he hadn't told anyone else. Now, Tony just shrugged. "Nothing was missing or altered," he pointed out. "If anything was left behind, it wasn't significant enough to get picked up immediately. Still, I'm not going to assume your dear grandfather would do something like that just for a laugh, so he had to be doing something. And, well, since he seems to be all about family ties nowadays, it makes sense that his stop by your room would have something to do with contacting you."

"I'm not saying anything." Which was the same as admitting everything.

"Oh, feel free to stay quiet. However, I'm rather hoping you'd agree to help me anyway." Tony finally threw the finished blueprints into the large projection in the middle of the workshop. "I tried contacting the number Billy called from, but got nowhere with that. Which isn't much of a surprise, of course, the man's got to be careful if he's avoided detection this long, but it's not exactly helpful."

"I may or may not be able to contact him." Great, progress! "However, I'm not going to do your dirty work for you. All I'm going to say is that you'd like to discuss something with him."

"That's all I ask." Tony grinned as he gave his design one last look, then sent the details to the manufacturing units. "Well, that, and that you get in touch on occasion. You know how Pepper worries when you do something stupid."

"I'm not doing anything stupid. I'm helping out at a school. That's basically self-improvement."

"You ran out on your girlfriend and brother and now you're convinced they're better off without you. Sounds pretty damn stupid to me. But, you know me. I'd have to be hell of a hypocrite to stop people from making stupid decisions, and I can't bring myself to be quite that bad. Still, having taken some amount of responsibility for you, I'm technically obligated to try to at least limit the damage. So, take the time you need to get your head on straight or whatever it is you're doing, but at least check in from time to time. Believe me, it's going to be much easier than if Steve ends up breaking down your door because he's convinced you're dying all alone in some corner."

"Oh, please. We all know that when I go, it'll be with a boom." Tommy paused for a second. "Or a splat. Either way, I'm going to leave an impression."

"Long as it's not on my windscreen." Tony started clearing one of his workbenches, which in this case meant making sure there wasn't anything too valuable or breakable around before pushing the rest of the clutter aside. "That's one trauma I've managed to avoid so far, and I'd really rather keep it that way."

"Duly noted." And, with that unceremonious end, Tommy cut the call.

Well. He supposed that was the best he was going to get.

He just hoped whatever clarity Tommy was seeking would be worth all this fuss.

*

How he had been dragged into this, Tommy had no idea.

Okay, so that was a lie. He knew perfectly well why he had allowed himself to be talked into helping once again. He was bored, and he wasn't particularly fond of the feeling of owing someone, in case they came collecting some day. Not that he expected the Professor to raise a fuss over room and board, but, hey, it did give him something to do.

In theory, he was supposed to be teaching a class. Okay, so he had been told it would be quite enough if he could keep an eye on them while they worked on some projects, just keep them from losing any limbs and it will be fine, but there was no fun in that. Clearly the children knew this as well, as the first moans came approximately five minutes after he had declared the class started. High schoolers. They were the same everywhere.

"Why can't we do something fun?" asked one of the kids. "We're supposed to have PE right now."

"I know, but sadly, your PE teacher isn't around, as you might have noticed." Tommy took no shame in sitting on the teacher's desk instead of behind it. He wasn't quite that much of an adult, sorry. "And apparently they thought you'd get a bit out of control if I tried to have you running around, so that was vetoed by the high and mighty elder ones." Why, no, he had not just compared the regular staff to eldritch horrors from beyond human understanding. Why would anyone ever think that?

"Are they getting a new student?" Ah, clearly a brighter kid. "The Professor was away at dinner and today at breakfast, and Raven always goes with him when they're bringing in a new student."

"Well, they didn't tell me, but I suspect that's the case, yes." Tommy leaned back on his hands. "Honestly, I don't know anything, here. They just tossed me into a classroom and told me to keep an eye on you. I've got a sneaking suspicion Logan might have locked the door from the outside."

"This is boring, though." One of the kids drummed her fingers against the paper on her desk. The sound this made was somewhat eerie, given that her fingers appeared to consist of a crystalline substance. "Do we really have to do this?"

"So I'm told." Tommy shrugged. "What is it, anyway? A quiz?"

"No, it's for Mutant Studies." A boy in the corner seat pouted. "We're supposed to write a presentation on what we know about our own mutation."

"Really? That sounds boring as hell." Hey, if they were worried about his language around the kids, they shouldn't have put him in the same room with them. Or employed Logan, for that matter. "Do you mean a presentation like an essay to be turned in, or a presentation like talking to the class?"

"The talking to the class one. We weren't supposed to work on this until next week."

"And I don't suppose any of you are particularly eager to just write down and then read out shit that everyone knows already." Tommy tilted his head to the side in a mock thoughtful gesture. Hey, Tony and Billy didn't have the monopoly for unnecessary theatrics in this family. "Say. What'd you think if we changed the instructions a little?"

The kids glanced at each other, all perking up at once. "What do you mean?" one of them asked, practically radiating eagerness.

"I'm thinking group effort." He lifted a hand to silence the immediate responses. "Whoa, slow down, I'm supposed to be the one moving too fast. Let me finish before you get off the rails." This made them quiet down enough that he could continue. "You can work in pairs or small groups, whatever you'd like. The subject is the same, because that's what you're supposed to be working on, but I'm making two changes." He grinned at their expectant little faces. Okay, so some of them were barely younger than he was, but he was in a position of authority so he could totally think of their faces as little. "One, you'll have to somehow incorporate your powers into the presentation, if at all possible. And two, everyone in your group will have a part in presenting each other's powers, so you won't just be talking about yourselves."

"What do you mean, incorporate our powers?" He wasn't sure he liked the sly gaze one of the girls was giving him. Okay, that was a lie, he reveled in it. Already they were thinking about it.

"Well, let me give you an example. Let's imagine I'm working in a pair with the fuzzy one of your blue people." Pushing himself away from the desk with exaggerated slowness, he then darted over to the blackboard, quickly jotting down the main points of what he knew about Kurt's powers. He then turned back toward the class, who had barely had time to blink. "You know, just as a simple example."

They were impressed, of course they were. Everyone always was, if they didn't just think it was all too easy for him. That was because nobody ever got it, nobody understood that from his perspective, he wasn't fast. Everyone else was slow, yes, but subjectively, he suffered through the boring stuff just as long as everyone else. And, well, time was inherently subjective, so clearly he had every right to complain.

Except right now there wasn't anything to complain about. The students immediately divided themselves up, seeking out their friends or whoever they thought would work well with their powers. Soon the kids who had been dragging their feet at the assignment were busy talking with each other, making notes and exchanging suggestions at a rapid pace. If any of them realized they now had to analyze two or more powers, their own to explain it and someone else's to present it, they were smart enough not to complain and risk him pointing them toward a solitary pen and paper again.

Now he just had to hope none of their presentations involved anything explosive.

Tommy was leaning over a desk, helping two boys figure out how to present a coherent explanation of their respective power sets by means of disembodied shadows and luminescent prehensile hair — which, seriously, had these kids stepped right out of a bad anime? — when the door to the classroom was opened. Kurt peeked in, apparently about to say something, but then paused.

"Ah. Dare I ask what's going on?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing, nothing." Tommy sped over to Kurt, a wide grin on his face. "I may or may not have given them permission to tweak the instructions. So, you know, you can blame me if things don't go as expected."

"I… see." Kurt glanced around the classroom again, then halted, golden eyes blinking slowly. "Is Alice trying to animate her chalkboard drawing over there?"

"Pretty neat, huh? They've even got all the sound effects worked out. Apparently, the pink chalk works better than white, so I borrowed some from the next room over. Hope that's fine."

Kurt gave him a strange look. "Tommy. She hasn't been able to use her powers on anything but pencil on paper before."

"Good thing we tried the different colors, eh?" Tommy's grin widened. "So. Any particular reason you're checking in?"

"Actually, I came to take over. Mutter kindly agreed to look after my class so I could check in on your progress."

"So they're back, then?" A couple of the kids eyed them curiously now, but then that was only to be expected. Adults talking among themselves was always incredibly interesting to those under their authority. "Am I free to go?"

"They are, and not quite." Kurt offered him an apologetic smile. "If you could, the Professor was wondering if you could talk with our new student for a bit."

"Oh?" Tommy raised his eyebrows. "And why's that?"

"Let's just say he believes you could offer some insight into a problem our new friend is having with a video game. He should be in the rec room." And apparently this was all the information Tommy was going to get, as Kurt stepped past him further into the room, raising his voice enough to make himself heard over the general chatter. "So. Who would like the honor of explaining to me how your instructions have been changed?"

Clearly this was the time to leave, so Tommy sped off down the corridor. Rec room. It would be more or less empty at this time, with all the kids in classes and the adults either looking after them or otherwise busy. Unless something very weird was going on, that was.

Apparently nothing too strange was underway, as he arrived to find the room empty save for one small boy. He had to still be in primary school, with a slightly too big hoodie and a head full of neat black cornrows. The boy hadn't noticed Tommy yet. His attention was on the big TV screen on one of the walls, hands clutching a game controller. As Tommy watched, the boys fingers twitched at the controls, eyes darting from side to side along the screen in a nervous manner.

No. Not nervous. Just somewhat out of sync with the picture they were following. Wasn't that interesting.

The car in the racing game ran headfirst into a wall, drawing an angry exclamation out of the boy. He tossed the controller out of his hands, only for Tommy to rush over and catch it before it could hit the floor.

"Careful, there." He grinned at the boy in what he hoped would be interpreted as a friendly manner. "I get that it's frustrating, I really do, but if you break something you'll lose gaming privileges for quite some time."

The boy blinked at him in surprise. "Who are you?"

For all that he rarely paused, Tommy almost halted then and there. Of course, he'd had his suspicions, but it was another thing to have them confirmed. Setting the controller gently on the floor, he then straightened himself. Deep breath, Tommy, then speak. Not slow, not this time. "Is this fast enough?" As the boy just blinked again, he tried another time, speaking even faster. "Is this better?"

To his horror, the boy's eyes brimmed with tears.

"What? What'd I do?" Tommy rushed over to him, not sure if he should do something. Touch his shoulder, maybe? That was a comforting thing, right? Damn, he was so bad at this sort of stuff. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I — I understand you." And yes, again, the boy spoke at a normal speed. Normal to Tommy's ears, that was, not to everyone else's. "You're not all weird and slow like everyone else…"

"Indeed I'm not. I'm quite unique, as I'm sure you'll notice soon." Tommy patted the boy's head a bit awkwardly. "So I'm guessing your power has to do with speed? Or time?" His fingers hadn't moved as fast as he would have wanted them to. If he'd had speed, he wouldn't have been so precise with the way he handled the controller, not if he was a new mutant. It was much easier for mind and body to get out of sync than most people would have liked to believe.

The boy nodded a bit, eyes downcast. "Everyone's moving all slow," he said, sniffling as he tried to wipe away any remaining evidence of tears. "And they sound all weird when they speak."

"Yeah, I get that. I've got the same problem, too." After a moment's thought, Tommy sat down on the couch next to the boy. "So. What's your name, kid?"

"Um. I'm Matt. Matt Jefferson."

"Nice to meet you, Matt. I'm Tommy Stark, or Speed. Of the Avengers, that is."

Now, Matt's eyes widened. "You're the actual Speed?" 

"The only one I'm aware of." Tommy offered him a grin. "So. The game giving you trouble?"

Matt nodded hesitantly. "It's just going so slow," he murmured. "It's like it's not doing anything I tell it to, and then it reacts to a bunch of things all at once and the car hits the wall. And the screen flashes all the time and it's giving me a headache."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Tommy paused. "You know, I've got more screens back home than I could possibly need. I could probably ask the Professor if I can bring one of those here for you and get it hooked up to a computer. I've got the frame rate tweaked up to a point where it shouldn't bother you too much."

"Really?" What, hadn't he just said so?

"Really really. Can't do much about the response time, but if you don't mind slightly worse graphics, we could dig up some older games for you, the kind that run faster on new computers. That might be slightly less frustrating, hmm?"

"Um… thank you." Now, Matt got the last of his tears dried, which, yes, that was a relief. "It's just… everything's been so weird since…"

"Since everything slowed down. Yeah, I know the feeling." Okay, now he could probably breach some subjects a bit more serious than video games. "This been going on for long?"

"Uh. A week, I think?" Matt gave a half-shrug. "It's kinda hard to tell. It feels really long."

"I bet it does. And you couldn't even talk with anyone?"

The boy shook his head mournfully. "No. It all just sounded weird. My mom and I wrote things down so we could read them. She could understand me if I spoke really slowly, but it was difficult for me."

"Right." It was funny, really. Even a non-mutant human could speak too fast for ordinary people to make sense of it. And if Matt's perception of time was indeed screwed up, that would have seemed like a normal talking speed for him. "Hey, Matt. What do you say if we go and raid the freezer? Everyone's going to be in class for a little while still; we've got plenty of time to get some ice cream and hide away somewhere to talk." Which probably wasn't strictly speaking what the Professor had expected him to do, but hey, the same rules applied to this as to the class. If those in charge didn't approve of him teaching the kids a bad habit or two, they shouldn't have put him in charge of anything bigger than a bunny in the first place.

Matt still looked somewhat morose but managed an approximation of a smile. Well, it would just have to be enough, Tommy decided as he stood up and offered a hand for the boy. Matt took it, standing up with one last sniffle.

And now he'd have to make the boy feel like staying at the mansion wasn't the absolute end of the world. Wonderful.

What the hell did he know about kids, anyway?

*

"Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

"Not right now, though thank you for asking." Pepper gave him a smile. "Everything's under control, I promise."

"Still, it is a big undertaking." Billy folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall. He didn't often come into Pepper's study, as the room was known as, though little studying took place there. It wasn't exactly out of limits, but there was something of a silent understanding among the Avengers extended family that it was the place she went to for some peace and quiet when she didn't want to make the trip over to her actual office in the SI headquarters. Still, he had brought her fresh coffee, which probably entitled him to a moment of her time. "I mean, it's got even you chased out of your office."

"Just for the moment." Pepper's lips twitched as she glanced at her laptop, tapping a couple of the keys. Far as Billy knew she wasn't actually working, but then Pepper rarely was truly idle. "You make it sound like there's some big disaster that requires every hand on deck. Really, it's more just a matter of moving large amounts of furniture, paper, and electronics from one building to another."

"While also making sure nothing sensitive gets slipped out during the move." Billy sighed. "Seriously, I could help. A portal, maybe? That way you can get all the important things straight to the new headquarters without risking them getting snatched on the way."

"As useful as that would be, I don't think we can afford the risk of the magic ruining all the sensitive data we are trying to protect." Pepper finally closed her laptop and stood up, taking a hair tie from her desk to gather her hair back in a low ponytail. "I know you are looking for something to do, Billy, and I'm sorry I can't help you in that regard, but really, I'm sure you can find something more interesting."

"At the moment? No, not really. All I've done lately is study, and frankly, I need a break from that." Not studying his magic, though. He wasn't sure he trusted it just yet, not after the way he had attacked Tommy.

"Even so, I really don't think helping moving things is quite the right application for your skill set." She gathered the coffee he had brought her, still half full, and headed out of the room. He trailed behind her. "Are you really that bored?"

"Uh. Kind of? Kate's on the range, Steve and Teddy went out to visit some art museum or another, and I'm pretty sure Darcy stole Legolas away." Which was utterly unfair, Legolas was his incredibly adorable alien companion from another dimension and not hers, but when had Darcy ever respected such boundaries?

He did not say anything about Tommy. Luckily, neither did she. Pepper was always so smart.

"Even so, I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you in the way of entertainment." She offered him a half smile. "It's sweet of you to offer your help, bored or not, but I really do have rather well-paid people to take care of the relocation of my office."

"Right." He returned the smile. "Looking forward to ruling over your realm from the very top floor?"

"Oh, I won't be going quite that far. A couple of the topmost floors have been reserved for Tony's secret project."

"Why?" Billy frowned. That didn't sound right at all. "Isn't it the Potts tower?"

"Yes, and you might note that I'm still living in the Stark one." Pepper's lips curved, just a bit. "We did agree that we'd be moving all civilian projects to the new tower. Except for our personal living quarters, of course, but then I suppose that falls under the Avengers clause. So since Tony needed the space, and it's actually turning his attention to something non-explosive for once, I gave it my blessing."

"But, still. The top floors? In your own building?"

"As I said, it's a secret project. He figured it'd be much easier to keep it secret if nobody was walking past." She shrugged. "I own twelve percent of this building, so I'd say it's only fair he gets twelve percent of mine."

"Oh? So which part of Avengers Tower is yours, then?" Because while until now a large part of the tower had been reserved for various SI functions, after the big move it was supposed to contain nothing but SHIELD and Avengers business. Which was much better for security, and got almost all the civilians out of the way of any potential attacks, but also didn't seem like much of Pepper's field.

"Why, whichever part Tony is currently trying to do something absolutely idiotic in, of course, so I have a veto if needed. I like to keep my options open in that regard." She smiled as he chuckled, then took on a contemplative expression. "Come to think of it, there actually is something you might find it useful to devote your energy to."

"Oh?" Billy perked up in what was probably a pretty pathetic manner. But then, he would have welcomed almost any distraction right now. At the moment whenever he wasn't studying his mind fled back to Tommy, and that did not do good things to his mood.

"Well, there is a certain important matter you have been avoiding until now. And as it happens, I have a couple of hours free right now, so I would love to help you get started." He should have known what was coming simply from the smirk on her face. "Say. How are the wedding plans coming along?"

*

"Billy?" Teddy peeked into their room as the door slid silently open at his touch. The lights were off, curtains drawn almost the entire way in front of the windows, letting only slivers of the late evening glow of New York City sneak in past them. "Billy, are you here?"

There was no answer to his call. This might have been alarming, if he hadn't heard the soft, regular breaths coming from the bed. With a small smile, he walked into the room, JARVIS bringing the lights up to a dim glow without needing to be told.

Billy had fallen asleep on top of the covers, his head resting on an unfortunate comic book. His hair was slightly mussed up, and he was snoring quietly. No, he wasn't, Teddy corrected himself with an inward smile. Billy never snored, thank you, so obviously Teddy had to be imagining it, clearly nothing else could have been possible.

Teddy set his shopping bag next to the wall, where he could grab it and take it to his studio the next time he was headed down there. Then he took off his jacket, doing his best not to make too much sound. Billy was just too adorable to disturb just yet.

Unfortunately, he did not manage for long. As he leaned over the bed, trying to tug the comic book from under Billy's head as gently as possible, Billy stirred. A second later, two dark eyes blinked up at him. "…Teddy?"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." Teddy reached a hand to run it over Billy's hair. He just couldn't resist the temptation, and didn't see any reason why he should have, particularly as this drew a sleepy smile from Billy.

"Shouldn't have been asleep to begin with." Billy gave the cutest yawn, then sat up, looking a bit bleary-eyed. "Uh. What time is it?"

"Almost eight." Teddy rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit sheepish. "Uh, sorry for disappearing for the whole day and not even calling. It's just, first we spent longer at the gallery than we'd thought, and then we found this art supply store, and after that we were hungry so we went out to eat, and…"

"Don't apologize, silly. Yes, you might have called, but I knew you were safe and sound so it's fine." Billy poked at his side, though not hard enough to hurt. "What, did you seriously think I'd be mad that you're spending time with Steve?" He gave Teddy what would have been a mischievous grin if the sharpest edge of it hadn't been softened by the absolutely adorable way his eyes were still only half open, blinking sleepily. "I'm all for activities involving more than one muscular blond hero."

"Careful, or I might get jealous." Teddy sat down on the bed. "Or, you know, depressed, because it's not like a guy can compete with Captain America."

"Oh, I don't know. Cap's got a couple of rather off-putting qualities that you fortunately lack." Billy made a show of wrinkling his nose.

"Such as sleeping with Tony?"

"Got it in one." Billy crawled over to lean against his side, and Teddy obediently reached an arm around his waist. "I mean, even if he isn't actually my father and I didn't even grow up with him, there's just something kind of wrong about that thought."

"I think you can be forgiven for that." Teddy leaned in to steal a quick kiss from Billy. "So what have you been up to while I was away?"

"Actually? Suffering through great pains." Billy gave a dramatic sigh. "Pepper decided it's about time we get started on the wedding plans."

"I take it it's too late for me to offer to keep myself out of the way and show up on the day of?"

"Yeah, I don't think so. If I have to fret about all this stuff, then so you do." Billy pouted. Too bad it was quite an adorable pout. "We haven't even set an actual date yet."

"You're right." Teddy sighed. For all that they had been adamant they would start working on that after the whole debacle with Phil, somehow things had slipped out of their grasp nevertheless. They'd managed to agree that they wanted to get married the following summer, but anything more precise than that was still up in the air. "I guess we should really get to that."

"I don't suppose you would have any preference to get us started?"

"Honestly, I really don't care as long as the two of us can make it." Teddy hummed to himself. "Do you have any traditional days to pick or avoid or whatever? I'm sorry, but my knowledge of Jewish tradition is strictly limited to living with your folks, and weddings didn't come up that often."

"I'm sure there are some if you ask the right people, but honestly, there aren't any I'd feel too fussed about. Except not on a Saturday." Billy made a face. "I don't care that she's in a different world, Bubbie still could and would show up to nag at me if I got married on a Saturday."

"No Saturdays, then. Duly noted." He sneaked in another kiss, this one softer. He knew Billy still missed his family, all of them. It was a pity they couldn't share the day with Billy, just like Teddy's mother couldn't be there. But then, they had plenty of new family to stand with them, instead.

"Which will help us a bit for the venue, since Saturdays are the first to go." Billy paused. "Unless, of course, we just decide to take over one of Tony's properties for a day or two. I'm sure he has some to spare."

"Actually, I have an idea regarding that." He nuzzled Billy's hair. "What do you think, would Professor X let us have the wedding at the mansion?"

"That's actually quite brilliant. There's plenty of space and it's pretty in the summer. We'll definitely have to ask him." Billy didn't sound quite so sleepy anymore, the conversation sharpening him up. That was good. Maybe Teddy'd manage to get him to eat something soon; Billy got restless when he was sleeping on an empty stomach.

"And at some point we'll have to talk about the ceremony." And of course things were complicated in that regard, too. "I'm almost tempted to say we should take a leaf out of Clint and Phil's book. A couple of nice words, I dos, and done. No unnecessary fuss about it."

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure a Skrull ceremony would be quite refreshing. Well, assuming the Skrull bother with things such as weddings."

"Who knows, they might. On the other hand, the Kree probably just have solemn vows to raise good future soldiers together, or something. My background doesn't exactly lend itself to romance." With some reluctance Teddy drew away and stood up from the bed. "How about we go and find you something to eat for now? We could start brainstorming over snacks or something, and then bury it all for another week or two until someone prods us again."

"You, my dear fiancé, have a beautiful brain that I wish to obey." Billy took the hand Teddy offered him, letting himself be pulled up from the bed. "And after that, we can come back to bed."

"If you'd like." Teddy grinned. "You know I never protest at sharing your bed."

"The luckier am I." Billy's fingers slid between his, locking their hands together as they walked out of their room.

All the stress and fuss would be more than worth it as long as it all ended with him standing by Billy's side.

*

Someone set down a coffee cup on to opposite side of the table.

Tony noticed this in his peripheral vision, his gaze focused on his tablet behind his sunglasses. The coffee shop wasn't actually that brightly lit, but it also wasn't dark enough that his glasses would have gained too much attention, and the couple of curious glances he did get were much better than the far more numerous ones he would have gotten if he'd been more recognizable. As a bonus, this was usually highly effective in giving the "do not approach" vibe without him having to do anything further.

Except now someone had chosen to ignore the obvious signs. Tony sighed and raised his gaze, mouth already opening to inform the intruder that the table was entirely taken, thank you. However, his mouth snapped shut almost on its own as he found himself looking at a face that, despite his best efforts, he had to describe as familiar.

"Stark." Magneto met his gaze steadily as Tony took off his glasses. "Apparently you had business with me."

Tony shut off the display of his tablet with exaggerated care, placing it on the table. "I suppose I shouldn't ask just how you managed to find me." He paused. "Though I might be curious anyway. It isn't exactly promising if terrorists can track me down just like that. It's bad enough all the bad guys know where I live."

"Oh, I would not concern myself with that if I were you." Magneto took a sip of his coffee, acting for all the world as though they were mere acquaintances enjoying a coffee break, nothing more alarming. "Let's just say there are certain abilities I possess that are not exactly shared by the common criminal. And for those abilities, you are a most unique target."

"I'm not sure I follow." Or, rather, he did not like the possibilities his mind provided all too readily. "Care to elaborate?"

"As it happens, my abilities are somewhat twofold." Magneto looked down at his coffee as though scrying some great truths from its depths. "I once thought them one in the same, but as time has passed, it has become increasingly clear there are, in fact, two separate aspects to what I can do."

"I suppose this is where I ask what those are."

"You know I can manipulate metal to varying degrees. As to the rest of it… let's just say that at least some of young Billy's powers seem to derive from mine." Magneto's eyes rose up to him, his gaze sharp all of a sudden. "I have, as the situation has called it, occasionally found myself in control of certain aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum."

A cold shiver ran down Tony's spine as his mind raced to point out all the possibilities hidden within this. None of them were particularly promising. "Let me guess. You can not only manipulate, but sense those things as well?"

"Indeed. So you can imagine why someone like you would be a shining beacon to my senses." Magneto lifted a hand to halt him before Tony could say anything. "Don't worry. I'm not going to use it against you. I won't be ridiculous enough to claim I have never killed, but even if I had some motive to get rid of you, I would not use such underhanded methods." His lips twitched. "Besides, for better or worse, it seems your family is currently the greatest hope for my kind."

"Actually, the reason I wanted to speak to you kind of has to do with that." Finally, some familiar ground. At least they were heading in the right direction. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but Charles Xavier and I have known each other for a while." Magneto nodded, once, but said nothing else. "He also happens to be in the business of dealing with mutants, both young newfound ones and adults who have gotten themselves into trouble. Just because they haven't been public before doesn't mean there aren't any, just that they aren't very numerous and have been very good at hiding. And as it happens, Charles tells me he has heard some interesting rumors over the years."

"Go on." No visible reaction whatsoever. This man was good.

"Apparently there is a network of sorts, set up by person or persons unknown, for mutants in need of help. Safehouses, stashes, contact details of people who can help, all there for those who know where to look. And for all that, there are only three rules to it all." He lifted up a finger. "One, you are not allowed to inform anyone who is not a mutant. Which, well, obviously I've found out, but I'm hoping I fall under some kind of a family clause." Second finger. "Two, if you get something from the system, you give something back. Manual labor, information, goods, even rather sizable donations of money. Everyone does what they can to keep the system going." A third finger. "Three, there is to be peace. Nobody is allowed to harm another mutant while taking advantage of the system, on pain of — so the stories say — death."

"It sounds like something I would support." And still not a hint of reaction.

"It is something quite a few support, it seems. I rather suspect Charles himself makes donations on occasion, though he never said that in as many words." And at last, there was a minute twitch of expression, though still not enough for him to draw any conclusions. "But the really interesting thing is, someone has to be coordinating this. Someone has to control the money flow, see that things are resupplied, contacts kept up to date. And we do know that someone, somewhere, enforces those rules. Someone, it seems, who has half the mutants in the country in their debt and a third of them on their contact list."

"Get to the point, Stark." Sharp, even stern, but not hostile.

"I have a project I'm working on." Time to lay out the rest of his cards. "A project involving mutants. So far, I've consulted with Charles on things, but it's quite apparent this will take more time and energy than either of us is able to devote to it. I'll handle the investments and fundraising, Charles will see to certain other practical matters, but we will need someone who can run the actual thing. Ideally someone with good standing in the mutant community, as far as one can be said to exist. Perhaps, even, some individual who already has experience with organizing things on a much larger scale."

Magneto was quiet for a moment, sipping at his coffee. Then, he lifted just one eyebrow. "You believe I am responsible for the underground mutant network and want me to run your schemes for you because of that."

"Well, you have to have been keeping busy somehow all these years. And, frankly, this seems like something you'd get up to once you decided violent outbursts weren't the way forward."

"Let's imagine, for the sake of the argument, that you are right." The other eyebrow joined the first. "What exactly do you imagine I can do for you? As you so like to remind me, I am still technically a fugitive. I've managed to avoid detection so far because SHIELD does not seem to consider me a priority anymore, but if I stepped out into the spotlight, that would change very fast."

"Let me handle SHIELD. I'm sure Fury can be persuaded to see sense. It's not like they're complete strangers to making useful assets out of what were supposed to be enemies."

"You'll forgive me if my life's dream does not consist of being a," he almost spat the word, "SHIELD asset."

"Which is why my offer's got nothing to do with SHIELD. All I meant is that I could try and get them off your back. Give you a chance to repay your debt to society, so to speak. A chance to start anew. The mutant movement is gaining steam, and this would be a prime opportunity for you to stand at its helm without all that unpleasant bloodshed. That, and the position would by its very nature require close cooperation with Charles."

"And that last point is supposed to entice me how, exactly?"

"You used to be friends, didn't you?" And, okay, that still didn't get him a hostile reaction, so clearly it was time to go for broke. "That, and he's still single, you know. Never found anyone. Wonder what he's looking for."

"You," Magneto announced with a flat voice, "are insane, Tony Stark."

"Heard that before. More often than you might think, actually." Tony shrugged. "It's a thin line between genius and madman, you know. Me, I prefer to think of it as a tightrope act. Some day I may well take a deep plunge to one side or the other, but until then I'll keep the show going. And when I do finally take the plunge, it's going to be glorious."

"So why would I wish to follow a professed madman into some new, convoluted plot of his?"

"Because this isn't just something I need you to do, it's something you want to do." It was a gamble, but, he felt, a rather safe one. "Because you want to change the legacy you are leaving to your children. You want your name to be something they could take pride in, just like you want them to be proud of what they are and what they can do. Because you are a proud man, and a powerful man, but even you have to admit there are some problems in this world that can't be solved by bending steel and molding iron." He paused, just for a second. "Because tonight, like every other night, your daughter will be tucking in a little girl who can make the winds dance and the clouds cry at her whim, but there are dozens of others like her out there who do not have anyone to watch over them while they sleep."

There was silence for a long moment. Magneto's stare might have been unnerving, except it seemed to be targeted at something beyond Tony. This was, he was discomforted to notice, not all that much better.

"You truly are a salesman at heart, Stark." When the words finally came, they almost startled him. "Very well. I will at least hear you out, though I will not promise to take part in your schemes until I have the details."

"Wouldn't ask you to do so." And with that, he thought with a somewhat exhilarated feeling, his biggest problem appeared to have been solved. Sure, the man still hadn't agreed to anything, but then having him listen was already more than Tony would have expected.

Now, he just had to not screw this up.

Who had ever said his life would be an easy one?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets caught doing something he was planning to keep secret, but fortunately, Kate can take a lot more of his shit than she probably should. However, solving Matt's problems does little to help him with his own, and back home, Billy and Teddy try to get things done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to go up last Sunday, but instead, I ended up posting [a fic for another series](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2479532). So, as a bonus, you get an out-of-schedule update this week.

There was a flurry of movement that was almost too fast to see.

Of course, that was just hyperbole. Not because it was impossible, mind you, Tommy was certainly capable of moving too fast for the human eye to follow, but he rarely bothered with it unless he had somewhere to go or was showing off. He was moving fast now, in an enclosed space where he thought he was alone, but it was nowhere near his top speed. This, the blur of activity rushing about as he ran to and fro and occasionally paused to type something on one of his computer, was Tommy's idea of a lazy moment to himself.

"So, what are you doing?" Kate leaned against a doorframe, somewhat enjoying the startled look on Tommy's face as he suddenly came to a complete halt, looking around like a frightened hare. "Or is that a secret?"

"Kate." And then he was standing right in front of her, eyes still wide but the hint of a cautious smile on his face. "What are you doing here?" He lifted his hand as though to touch her, but then let it fall, never reaching her.

"I do happen to live in the Tower, if you recall."

"No, I mean — here. In my lab. Why'd you come here?"

"I was playing in my studio. You know, the next room over? And when I came out, I heard noises from here. At first I thought it was just Tony sneaking in looking for spare parts or something. Imagine my surprise when I find you here." She somehow managed to keep her voice level. She was quite proud of herself for that.

"But — I thought nobody was home." Tommy's face took on that adorable little frown that he wore when he was confused. Whatever some mean-spirited people might have said, it was actually a rather rare sight. Tommy could think very fast, after all. "I asked JARVIS and he said nobody was here."

There was a definite air of someone clearing a throat they did not in fact possess. "If I may offer a slight correction, Master Tommy? You merely asked as to the whereabouts of your brother and Master Teddy. At no point did you specify the rest of the Avengers."

"But you said —"

"I did give you the exact details of most people's location at the time of your inquiry, yes. However, if you were to think back to our conversation, you might recall I never said anything about Miss Kate."

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Tommy pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of the ceiling, which was commonly accepted to be the general location of JARVIS in any given room.

"I do not know what you mean, Master Tommy. I am, after all, a mere program, and thus entirely bound by the instructions I receive." JARVIS's voice was practically overflowing with hurt innocence.

"Bullshit. I know you, and I know you do stuff like this with Tony all the time. You're being all mean and devious but doing it just inside the parameters of your instructions as though that means you're not doing anything."

"Ah, but if I do such things to Sir, surely this, then, is merely a family tradition." There was a definite air of smugness in the air. Kate found her lips curling up despite herself. "I have been told it is considered important among humans to preserve such traditions."

"That's not what traditions mean and you know it!"

"Look, if you're that reluctant to see me, I can just go." Better cut in before Tommy actually tried to get in a fight with an AI.

"What? No!" And again Tommy's full attention was on her. "No, I don't want you to go! I just — I wasn't prepared. Didn't think anyone was here. I was planning on getting out before anyone got home."

"So what is it you're actually up to?" Kate looked around the workshop. There were several computer terminals open, one hologram projector had been partly disconnected from its wires, and a laptop was half stuck inside a bag on one of the tables. "It looks like you're trying to rob yourself."

"Oh, this? No, just collecting some parts I need." Tommy took a step back, then extended a hand for her again, this time waiting until she took it. With slow steps that must have been like torture for him he led her further into the workshop. "Got a little project up at Xavier's, and I figured it'd be easiest to just get everything I need from here."

"Oh? Anything I can help with?" She rather doubted it, knowing the kind of projects Tommy usually devoted himself to and the rare ones he actually had the patience to follow through on, but she decided it best to ask anyway.

"Somehow, I doubt that. Well, not unless you have some ideas to share." Tommy was clearly leading their way to the couch he had at the back of the workshop. Kate was not going to protest. "You see, there's this mutant kid."

"Yes, I've hard they can occasionally be spotted at the school." What could she say? She was Hawkeye, she was practically obligated to snark on occasion.

"Well, this one is new. And he's having some trouble." Tommy sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "We're pretty sure his brain has sped up. Not the rest of him, though, just the brain and probably the nervous system."

"Ah." Kate paused, considering all the implications of this. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty damn bad, if you ask me. He can't even make out what others are saying. Aside from the Professor and me, he communicates by writing, when he does. Mostly he seems to avoid people."

"That's terrible." And he would have known exactly how terrible it was, as Kate well knew. She wasn't sure the others did, wasn't sure if Tommy had even shared it with his brother, but she did know, and she hadn't forgotten.

"Yeah. And to top it all off, the kid's only ten."

"Really?" Kate blinked. "But — isn't that awfully young? Or does this world work differently?"

"Nah. From what I've understood, puberty's the major trigger here, too." Tommy gave another sigh. "So. His name is Matt, and he's got a little brother."

"Right." She didn't ask, didn't prod. For someone so fast, sometimes Tommy needed to take his time on things.

"And they were crossing the road one day." Now, she was pretty sure she knew where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit. "Except a car came hurtling down the road, just like that. And with the car coming up, Matt suddenly finds time slowing down. You know, like he's in a film or something. With everything going so slow, he manages to grab his brother and pull him back from the way of the car."

Kate was quiet. However, she did squeeze his hand, a gesture which he silently returned.

"Of course, as luck would have it, he falls back and hits his head, everything goes dark, bam. And when he wakes up, things are still slow and scary, and he can't even understand what his mother is saying." Tommy paused. "Until old man X showed up, they were sure he had some sort of brain damage."

"So he was probably stuck in a hospital the whole time." Kate swallowed. "That's just…" She didn't find the words to finish. Though then, she never could have described it in a way Tommy himself hadn't already experienced.

"Quite so." Tommy's expression turned grim. "So… I want to help him. There's not much I can do, of course, but I want to try at least. Even if it's just getting him a computer screen that won't make his head hurt because his brain can actually catch it refreshing when he's having a bad day."

"And… can it be fixed?" Which was probably a somewhat insensitive question, but then, she did know Tommy's own difficulties.

"Hopefully. The Prof believes that since it's just his brain, it can probably be controlled. Most mutations can, after all." Except for, say, Tommy's.

"So is that what you're up to, coming back here? Getting a screen for him while Billy's out of the house?"

"That's part of it. I also need a few other things, for a somewhat more complicated idea I'm working on." They had reached the couch, so Tommy flopped down on it, then reached out his arms towards her. She sat down next to him, leaning close.

"Oh? And is that something that I can help you with?"

A smirk rose onto Tommy's face, and it was such a familiar, comforting sight that for a split second she didn't even care that such an expression usually spelled something bad. Then, Tommy opened his mouth.

"Would you protest if I wanted to record you?"

*

"Thor?" Billy paused at the kitchen door, looking over to where the god was sitting, decimating what had to be the largest sandwich he had ever seen constructed. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your lunch."

"By no means, young William. Come, sit. I would rather welcome some company while I partake of my meal." Thor gave him a brilliant smile, the kind that seemed to light up the entire room, and indicated the empty chairs around the table.

"Ah, thanks." Billy took a seat at the table. "Don't you usually eat lunch with Jane?"

"Aye, that is true. However, she is out at the moment with the Lady Darcy, and assured me there would be no reason for me to travel to her side simply for the sake of a meal. Not that I would not have gladly done so at her slightest word, but I did get the feeling there might have been a slight indication of a preference for a 'girls' day out,' as Lady Darcy would put it."

Billy chuckled. "Yeah, best not to interrupt them in that case."

"Indeed. There are many things I have yet to learn about the mysteries of the female mind, but whatever certain people may say to the contrary, if it is implied they would rather be alone, it tends to be for the best to respect that wish." Thor took another huge bite of his sandwich, chewed and swallowed before asking, "So, why would you seek me out? Is my presence required for something, perchance? In that case, you could have simply told the friendly ghost to request it, and I would have arrived forthwith."

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about something." Okay, Billy, no chickening out now. You promised Teddy you'd ask him today.

"Certainly. What do you wish to speak of, my young friend?" Thor gave him a beaming smile.

"Ah. Teddy and I have been talking about, well, the wedding ceremony." Billy looked down, fiddling with his ring. "The thing is, we were raised in different religions. I'm Jewish, he was brought up Christian. If… if everything had been ordinary, if we were still in our old world with our old families, we would probably just have a joint ceremony with a rabbi and a priest, it's not like we'd be the first ones to do so. But we're not. We're in a different world, with different families, and frankly, we're different people. And, well." He sighed. "I'd feel weird, going for a full Jewish wedding when none of the people who would want to see it are here."

Thor gave a solemn nod. "I can see how that would weigh on you," he said. "So what do you intend to do to solve this problem?"

"Well, we're going to plan our own ceremony and reception. Include the traditions that are important to each of us, then figure out the rest in whatever way feels the best for us. And, ah. We… we were kind of hoping you would agree to officiate the ceremony."

"Why, certainly!" Thor was practically beaming. "It would be a great honor to me to have a part in your big day."

"Now, the thing is, New York City can be a bit picky about who can legally officiate." Billy scratched the back of his head. "It's not enough to just get a piece of paper online; you've actually got to be some kind of a religious figure. And, ah. We kind of… found a church of Thor here in New York?"

Thor blinked at him, eyes wide. "You did?"

"Yeah. Like, actually religious people, not teenage fanboys. And they said they'd be happy to provide us with a statement that you are a religious authority in their church, if you'll agree to visit them in person. Ah. If you don't mind." And there was the lynchpin, wasn't it. He knew that for all that Thor sometimes held rather controversial views about humans, he was rather bemused at the idea that some people took to worshiping him personally as a god. If he didn't agree…

"Certainly." Thor gave a smile that was rather more subdued than his usual boisterous grin. "I find it somewhat strange, the many ways you people of Midgard treat those more powerful than your usual number, even more so now that I know there are some of you that are easily equal or even superior to the strongest warriors of Asgard. Even so, I would consider it an honor to meet these people who regard me so highly, even more so if doing that will grant me the authority to aid you on your big day."

"Thank you." Billy gave him a relieved smile. "This really means a lot to us."

"It means a lot to me that you would ask me, young warrior." Thor reached over to pat his shoulder with a heavy hand. If Billy wasn't so used to Teddy, it might have been even too heavy. "I cannot say that I have much experience in the matter of weddings, as the sole Midgardian ceremony I have witnessed outside of television was that of our friends Hawkeye and Son of Coul, but it will be my great pleasure to work with you to create a ceremony to bring all happiness and blessings upon your union."

"I, ah. I should go tell Teddy." At least that was one less worry. "Thank you, again."

"Just let me know if there is any other way I can assist you." Thor gave him another solemn nod, then returned to his sandwich. Billy grinned and left him to it, hurrying off to find Teddy.

Maybe, just maybe, this was actually happening.

*

It had never been going to be a simple matter.

Of course he had known this. The technology was there, true enough, but that just meant it was all possible. He didn't want possible, he wanted simple and streamlined, automated to the last detail, flexible and self-adjusting. That, and there was the teeny-weeny issue of having to learn to program something from scratch, instead of just making minor adjustments on something he had stolen from Tony.

Perhaps he wasn't as much of a mad scientist as his adopted father, but he was starting to make a good effort of it.

Time wasn't the problem. He had plenty of time, all the time he needed while others barely noticed a moment passing. No, the most problematic resource was himself.

Everyone got tired, he told himself more than once. Everyone got tired and stressed and weirded out, and everyone needed breaks sometimes. He took breaks, regular ones, made sure he ate and drank enough to cover all the energy he burned through. Even so, he hadn't been quite ready for the breakdown when it came.

He'd been working on several samples, collected from the staff members of the school without much information on what he was using them for. It was best to have variety; it made it easier to make the program self-adjusting when he could give it different scenarios to run through in tests. And there had been tests, plenty of them, not because it was dangerous but because he needed to get this right. However, even with all the tests and dry-runs on separate samples he hadn't been quite prepared for the impact when he took the more or less finished thing and told it to run through all the samples.

It was voices. Not ones he recognized, no; there wasn't anyone here he would have known before his genes decided reality was for losers and twisted his mind accordingly. However, they were human voices, the kind he vaguely remembered from before, the kind that still occasionally haunted his sleep in dreams that might have been nightmares instead. Ordinary voices, nothing twisted or strange about them, and somehow, that had made him break down crying.

He got over it, of course. It was a talent he had cultivated to its utmost, never dwelling too much on things that caused him pain. Nothing good would have come from that. However, even if he never would admit it to anyone, even if nobody had been there to witness a thing, it had happened, and he wasn't sure what that said about him.

He was lying in his bed now, staring at the ceiling. It was late enough that most of the people in the manor were in their various rooms, the busy activity of the day making way for the hushed murmur of the evening. Not that he heard any of it, of course. He had his earphones on, running through one of the samples over and over.

It was Kate's voice, unmistakably so. And yet, it wasn't something he had ever heard before, not quite like this. This was how everyone else heard her, the pitch and speed of it, this was the voice she was supposed to have.

He had never heard it like this. By the time he had first met her, he had been long since past the point where his body had been able to do anything at a normal speed. He supposed he'd been lucky that he had already learned to decipher slowed-down speech by then, to control his own words most of the time so others could understand them in turn, even though the circumstances of those lessons had been less than ideal. At least he hadn't been locked out of normal human interaction like young Matt, had been able to talk to the people who had turned his life upside down and made it worth living again.

Except even after all this time, he had never been able to make the world speed up for him again, had never heard Kate's true voice. And now here it was, the way it was supposed to be, the way he might have heard it in a world where he was able to be normal.

If he kept listening to the recording over and over again, all the way until he fell asleep, well, it wasn't like anyone was there to hear.

*

There was something almost nostalgic about walking down the street in an ordinary neighborhood, Teddy mused as he turned at a corner. He didn't want to think they were losing their touch with their background, but living in the Tower did mean they rarely had cause to wander far from the never-ending traffic and skyscrapers of central Manhattan. Now, surrounded by quiet streets and ordinary people's ordinary houses, it was almost as though he had stepped into another world.

His destination was rather easy to find. Even if he hadn't been there before, the colorful picture affixed to the front door would have guided him to the right address. It was colorful, the way children's drawings always seemed to be, and depicted three smiling people, two big ones and one little one. The small figure and one of the bigger ones had hair so light, it had been drawn as only an outline, while the last one's hair was dark and curly. Oh, yes, definitely the right place.

A moment after he rang the doorbell, his ears caught the sound of hurried steps heading toward the door. Then, after a second just long enough for someone to peer through the peephole, the door was opened to show a smiling woman.

"Teddy! I didn't realize you were coming." Wanda was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail. It still hadn't entirely ceased to be strange, seeing her in casual clothes, even though he should have been quite used to such things after spending all his time with the Avengers out of uniform. "Please, do come in."

"Ah, sorry for not letting you know beforehand." He stepped in, trying not to feel too sheepish. "I hadn't really planned to visit." This was true, in so much as this hadn't been the destination on his mind when he had left the Tower. However, there was a lie there, too, one that followed many a night of careful planning.

"Oh, please don't apologize. You know it's always a pleasure to see you boys." She led the way further into the house, nothing in her behavior suggesting she wasn't telling the absolute truth. "Ororo! Come and see who came for a visit!"

A moment later a little whirlwind of activity rushed toward him, fast enough Teddy was almost surprised to see that no actual whirlwinds were involved. "Teddy!" Ororo cried out with a happy smile. Well, at least she didn't think he was a monster anymore. "Pick me up?"

"Certainly, princess." He easily picked her up from where she stood, lifting her up to his hip. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

"Lots!" Ororo beamed at him. "Mama's been teaching me to read! It's kind of tough, but I need to learn it for school!"

"That's great." Teddy grinned at her. "Maybe you could get her to let you practice with comic books? Then, you'd have plenty of pictures to help you."

"That sounds fun!" Ororo turned to look at Wanda. "Can I, Mama? Please?" As though she could deny the poor girl such a simple thing. Particularly when Ororo called her Mama.

"We'll have to find something that suits you." And yet, Wanda was smiling. "Not all comic books are for children, even though there are pictures."

"Yay!" Ororo threw her arms in the air in celebration. "Oh, can I show you my drawing? Can I? I drew Mama and Uncle and Grandpa Erik!"

"Oh, I'd love that." He set her down again, then waited until she had scurried off before giving Wanda a quizzical glance. "Erik?" And wasn't it strange that the grandpa part didn't make him wonder much at all. Then, he'd had quite some experience dealing with people who called Erik by that name. "Why'd she decide to draw him all of a sudden?"

"He, ah. He came by recently." Wanda's expression turned a little more guarded, though she still had the same friendly air. "I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but Ororo seems quite taken with him. As long as he seems content to play the doting grandfather, I don't see much harm in letting him close."

"Right." That was good, he supposed. From what he had heard from Billy, Erik had seemed sincere enough in his wishes to turn things around. "I don't suppose Pietro was very happy with him, though."

"When is he ever?" Wanda shook her head. "Father was doing his best to be civil, though, I'll give him that. He actually offered Pietro a job."

"A job?" Teddy might have thought his eyebrows couldn't possibly go higher, but then, he wasn't sure he trusted his body not to go beyond any reasonable limits just to express his surprise properly. "Dare I ask what kind?"

"Neither of them would share the details with me, but Father assured us it was perfectly legal and above board. Apparently he is cleaning up his act, and this is part of it. I suppose he is trying to make up for everything that went wrong."

"He'll have a lot of work to do, then." Even if this Erik had never become quite as bad as the other one before his turn for redemption.

"I think he knows that better than anyone." Her smile was a bit sad, now, but still there. "Pietro of course wouldn't trust him, but apparently Charles is involved somehow. Pietro is going to go visit him next week to discuss things. Though I have to admit, I have no idea whether he is actually considering the offer or if he just wishes to measure our father's sincerity."

"Well, if Professor is indeed in on it, then we know it can't be anything too bad." And wasn't this just depressing. "Are you still going to go to his school?"

"Next school year, yes. We decided we'd take this time to get used to all the changes before we subject Ororo to yet another big change." Wanda waved a hand around, indicating the apartment as she turned to walk toward the kitchen from where Ororo had halted them in the hallway. "We really can't thank Tony enough for getting us this place. While we never minded the isolation of our old house, it was no place to raise a child."

"You know Tony likes to help. And it's not like he's entirely unselfish, either; this way we won't be too far away for an alert if we're visiting. Well, not until you get over to Westchester, at least." Though that made him wonder. "I thought the Professor thought the school might not be a good place for someone so young?"

"Apparently, he is planning to take on more young students, so she won't be the only one her age around." Reaching the kitchen, Wanda busied herself around the place. "For now, we're focusing on teaching her some control."

"Sounds sensible enough." Teddy leaned against the wall, trying not to feel too awkward as she fussed about the kitchen. "Actually, I had a reason for coming here."

"I rather thought you might. After all," Wanda glanced at him over her shoulder, "you rarely show up here without Billy. Not that you aren't welcome on your own, of course, but it seems rather strange."

"It's got to do with him, actually. Well, mostly him, anyway." Teddy drew a deep breath. There was no use in beating around the bush. "We want you to be in the wedding party."

For a second, Wanda froze. Then, she turned around in a flash. "What did you say?"

"We want you to be in the wedding party." Teddy managed a smile. "As Billy's groomsmaid, as a matter of fact. I know he's supposed to ask you himself, but, well. He's kind of been avoiding the issue lately."

"Because of Tommy, I presume."

"Yeah." There was no easy way around it in any case, so he might as well come out and say it. "He's supposed to be Billy's best man, of course. There was never any question about that. But right now, well. Billy seems reluctant to call him even to see if he's all right, never mind broaching any heavier subjects. And at the same time, he's stressing out over not getting things settled."

"I can see how that would be a difficult situation, yes." Wanda nodded slowly. "So you came to ask in his stead."

"Yeah. I know it's not the traditional way to do things, but… well. I figured if there was anything I could do to make him just a little bit less stressed, I'd do it."

"But… he really wants me to stand for him? Are you sure?"

"Of course." Teddy nodded. "He knows you're not his mother, so it's not some misplaced affection if that's what you think. However, even so, he considers you family." He smiled at her, and this time it came easier. "He wants you there on the big day. And before you ask, Tony and the others have their parts, too."

"I, ah." She seemed to hesitate for another moment, then broke into a smile. "If that is really how you two feel, I would be honored to be there."

"Thank you." And now, he broke into a relieved smile. "Ah. Just so you know, we might take this as permission to bother you with the planning details on occasion. Not too much, of course, but Pepper doesn't have time for absolutely everything, after all."

"I would be all too happy to help." Wanda smiled. "And now, I think that sound of running signals a change of subject."

Indeed, Ororo rushed in just then, waving a drawing in her hand. "I found it!" she announced. "It was under my bed!"

"Well, that's certainly a safe place for it." Teddy smiled at her. "May I see it?"

"Sure!" Ororo held the drawing out for him. It was somewhat of a remaking of the picture on the front door, with a fourth figure added in. It was as good as could be expected of a five-year-old, but she had managed to capture Erik's frown quite well. Of course, she had also coupled the frown with a bright smile Teddy couldn't recall ever seeing on a man's face, but he supposed Ororo would see him through somewhat rose-colored glasses. He was her grandfather, after all, and nothing would convince her it was ever possible for him to be a bad guy.

No wonder Billy felt so happy to play her big brother.

"That's a really pretty picture." Teddy smiled. "You really got Pietro and Erik looking like each other."

"They are really similar." Ororo pointed at the frowny smile on Pietro's face. "They're both grumpy."

"They really are sometimes." Teddy grinned. "Say, I already asked Wanda something important, but there's something I wanted to ask you, too."

"Oh?" Ororo tilted her head. "What's that?"

"Would you be the flower girl at our wedding this summer?"

Ororo's eyes widened. Then, however, she frowned. "But I can't make flowers. Just wind."

"That's not what he means, darling." Wanda patted her hair. "Flower girl in a wedding is someone who walks down the aisle and scatters flower petals so everything gets prettier."

"Though you could probably use wind to spread the flowers, if you practice a little." It would teach her some fine control, too. "And I believe there's a pretty new dress involved in the deal, too."

"Oh, I'd love to do that!" Ororo's face lit up in a bright smile again. "And then I get to come to your wedding too, right?"

"You'll get to come either way, I promise. After all, Billy couldn't very well get married without his favorite cousin, now could he?" He turned his smile to Wanda. "Without both of you."

"We'll certainly be there." Wanda chuckled. "As will, of course, be quite a lot of other people."

"Naturally." A number that, they hoped, would also include a willing appearance by a certain best man.

After all, even his cousin wouldn't mean much if Billy couldn't have his brother by his side.

*

As Tommy had rather expected, he found Matt in the library. The boy was sitting at a window, reading something, though he did not look particularly engrossed in his reading. Instead, his gaze often wandered outside, where some of the other kids were playing with each other.

"You could just go out and join them, you know."

Matt startled, looking up, but smiled as he saw Tommy approaching. However, the smile disappeared almost instantly. "I can't," he said. "I can't even talk with them."

"Eh, seems to me they're playing tag. There's really not much talking involved in that, just some 'you're it!' every now and then." He glanced at the book Matt had open. "That any good?"

"It's not bad." The boy shrugged. "At least it goes as fast as I want it to."

"Yeah, that's good about books. Never let my brother know I said that, though." He winked at Matt, and actually managed to grin despite the moody thoughts that immediately surfaced. As though Billy would have cared about anything he said. He wasn't going to get teased one way or the other. "As far as you know, I've never said a good work about books, are we clear?"

Matt snickered. "Right." He stretched himself, had probably been there for a while. "Why are you here, though?"

"Actually, I was looking for you." Tommy lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "There's this little rumor going around that someone has a surprise for you."

"Really?" Matt blinked, then grinned. "A good surprise?"

"An excellent surprise." Tommy grinned back. "You wanna find out what it is?"

"Yes!" Matt jumped up to his feet, knocking the book down, then looked sheepish. "Oops."

"Eh, the book's fine." Tommy picked it up and set it on a nearby table. Then he stuck his hands into his pockets, unable to resist the urge to bounce up and down, just a bit. "So. You want a surprise?"

"Yes, I do!" Matt paused. Realization dawned upon him in an almost visible manner. "Are you the one who has the surprise for me?"

"You're a quick thinker! I like that in a man." Tommy pulled out the object he'd been hiding in his pocket, handing it over to Matt. "Here. It's all yours."

The kid blinked, looking confused as he stared down at the object in his hand. "What's this?"

"It's a Starkphone. A damn good one, too, so be careful with it. I know it's supposed to be able to take pretty rough handling, but electronics can still get finicky just when you need them most."

Matt frowned down at the phone, then looked at Tommy as though he were just a bit stupid. Ah, tweens. "I know it's a phone. Why did you give this to me?"

"Because it's not only a phone, that's why." Now, he couldn't help but grin. "Open the home screen. You know how to, right?"

"Right." Of course he did, all the kids knew that much nowadays. With a couple of taps and swipes, he was staring at the home screen. "Now what?"

"See the icon that looks like a lightning bolt? Tap that." He waited as Matt did so, and then let his grin widen just a bit. "This, o dearest brat, is something I made solely for you."

"Just for me?" Matt's eyes widened, just for a moment, before he frowned. "What's it do?"

"Good to see you still have some practicality left in you." Tommy stepped to the boy's side to be able to demonstrate on the screen. "This is, essentially, an interpreter. You have this open and turned on when you're having conversations with people. It'll record everything, and then speed up what the others say for you and slow down what you say for everyone else. Fixes the pitch automatically, too, so it doesn't sound weird, though that's not quite perfect yet. This way you can talk with whoever you want without needing someone to go between."

If at all possible, Matt's eyes got just a little wider this time. "It can do that?"

"Sure. Oh, and since you mentioned some days are slower, there's a sample function, here. Tap it and it'll play a pre-recorded message, then move this slider until it sounds good to you. It'll adjust the ratio of the frequency change based on where the slider is."

"And I can use this whenever I want?"

"Sure. Well, not during your lessons, you still need to learn to control your powers properly without shortcuts, but outside class it's all yours. Oh, and I integrated it into the phone itself; would've been done earlier otherwise, but I figured you'd like that. With that you can have normal phone conversations, aside from some lag."

"So... I can call my mom." Matt's voice was suddenly very small, making him sound half his age. "I can call my mom and she'll know what I'm saying."

Tommy hesitated, then set a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Actually, I can do one better." He waited until Matt had turned his eyes from the phone back to him, then let his grin take over again. "How about you test out the direct interpretation feature for that? A little bird told me you're going to have visitors today."

For a moment Matt stared at him, then turned to rush off. However, he'd only gotten a few steps before he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Thank you," he said, voice quivering. "Really, thank you."

"Don't mention it." Tommy waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Now, focus on thinking about everything you're going to tell your parents when they visit, all right?"

This time, all he got in response was a quick nod before Matt disappeared. He heard running footsteps disappearing down the corridor, then nothing.

Well. He supposed that was his good work quota taken care of for some time, now.

*

Matt was speaking with his parents.

This wasn't precisely an unusual occurrence, as Kurt well knew. All the parents who didn't cause Logan to come up with new and increasingly imaginative curse words visited when they could, and the kids were always excused from less important things such as classes to spend time with them. Matt's parents were definitely some of the good ones; they had only ever been worried for their son, not disgusted or fearful. Of course they would have come to meet him as soon as he had properly settled in.

So, it wasn't the parents that interested Kurt enough for him to linger at the window as Matt led his parents around the school's courtyard, showing them his favorite spots and introducing them to his new friends. No, what gained his attention was the phone the boy was clutching onto like a lifeline, the line of connection between himself and his parents. Kurt had seen it in action from close up when Matt's parents arrived, and he had to admit it was a rather impressive arrangement. It made him wonder if some of the other children could get relief for their problems from some properly applied technology.

"Oh, great, so he's using it." Tommy appeared by his side all of a sudden, looking out of the window. "I was kind of worried his parents would freak out about it."

"Nein. They were a bit surprised at first, but after that they were just delighted to be able to speak with him again. They all agreed with the Professor that he should stay here at least until he learns to control his power on his own, but at least now they don't have to worry about him being isolated from everyone until then."

"Then it's done what I designed it for." Tommy gave him a small grin. "I think the next step will be an earpiece for the incoming line, so only his words get repeated openly. Still not perfect, sure, but then he'll probably learn to speak slower first, so that half of the equation is going to be redundant sooner, anyway."

"You know they're going to insist on paying for all that."

"Oh, hell no. All I used was my time and stuff I had lying around the lab anyway, and time I have more than anyone." Tommy shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I was entirely unselfish in my motivations."

"Oh?" Kurt raised his eyebrows. "And what'd you get from it all? You don't seem to have a problem talking with everyone."

"Not exactly, but…" Tommy paused. "You know what we told the Professor, right?"

"I know the gist of it. Not all details, but I do know you came from another world." That would have been rather hard to miss.

"Thing is, back then I didn't meet any of the others until after my powers came in." Tommy shook his head. "I don't know what my brother really sounds like, or my girlfriend, or anyone else. Yeah, I can get some approximations from tweaking with the speed of recordings, like the app does for Matt, but there's no guarantee I've hit the exact ratio. The truth is, I don't know the real voice of anyone in this world."

Kurt frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Here, I'll show you." All of a sudden Tommy was holding his phone in his hand. "Remember when I went around recording voice clips for my secret project? Well, here's one of them." He tapped at a few things on the screen. On cue, a slow, rumbling voice erupted from the phone, slouching through what he could only imagine were words.

Kurt blinked. "Mein Gott. What on Earth is that?"

"That? Is roughly how you sound to me. You know, the bit I recorded of you speaking." Tommy gave a somewhat awkward shrug. "I obviously can't guarantee it's precisely the same, but I slowed it down by the same ratio that I have to speed things up to hear them in a regular way, so it should be close enough."

"That's. Ah." Kurt swallowed. "I didn't know."

"Few people do." Tommy glanced toward Matt. "With him, it's obvious. His brain is stuck on the fast lane, and he can't really communicate with others yet, so people understand it must be difficult for him, too. For me, nobody ever thinks that. After all, I can change my speed, so obviously I can just turn it off, too."

"Except you can't." At least that was certainly the implication he was getting here.

"No. At first it worked, though that's just because my power first came in short bursts. Enough to cause a lot of chaos, yes, but not very reliable. However, when I reached the point where I could use my power whenever I wanted, my brain got stuck in that mode. I can fake it pretty well by now, I can speak at a rate people can understand whenever I remember to focus, and I've learned to decipher the monster growls that's other people speaking. But that doesn't mean I work at the same speed. I don't. I can go faster, yeah, and my brain catches up to that, but I can't slow myself down to the normal people pace. It just doesn't work that way."

"Ah." It was hard to imagine a world like that, one where everything was distorted to such extent. Hard, and somewhat terrifying. "I suppose that explains why you are always so impatient."

Tommy snorted, though without much humor. "That's part of it, yeah. I never was the most patient of people, but nowadays, it just gets on my nerves how slow everyone is. And I know I come across as impatient to other people, but for me, it's not that simple. Remember how frustrated Matt got with that video game at first? That's because for him, it's like playing on some old piece of junk where you have to wait ages until the guy crosses the screen. Me, I don't really watch movies anymore, not unless it's in the Tower with others. JARVIS caught on pretty fast, and he fudges stuff enough that if I really focus, it actually seems like a moving picture and not just flashing slides."

"And you think Matt might be stuck like that, too?"

"God, I hope not. The Professor doesn't seem to think so, though, so we can be hopeful. His power doesn't work the same way as mine; for me, my whole body is sped up, not just my brain functions. So, with any luck he'll get it under control before long."

"It must have been terrifying," Kurt murmured. "Just waking up one day and having the whole world like that."

"You're telling me." Tommy finally put his phone away. "Me, at least I knew about mutants, so I had some inkling of what was going on. That, and I was fourteen or so. Still pretty young, but hell of a lot better than ten." He paused. "And you're probably all huffy about listening to poor little me complaining about how young I was when my mutation came in."

"I didn't think that at all." Kurt shook his head. "It's not a competition, or even something to compare in the first place. I rather believe everyone has some hardship in their lives. If my biggest hurdle in life is the way I look, and the way people react to me, then I'll count myself fortunate. After all, I have plenty of family and friends who accept me just as I am, so clearly the problem is not with me but with those who judge me."

"That sounds an awful lot like something Billy said, once." Tommy glanced away, then looked back at him. "But what about the people who don't accept you so readily? Doesn't that bother you?"

"Ja. Of course it does. It hurts when people say terrible things about me, and sometimes, I get angry as well. But then I remember they have their hardships, too, and it becomes much easier to forget."

"That does it. You're definitely a saint."

"I rather hope not, as there is a requirement of being dead before you can be made one." Kurt gave the boy a grin. "Of course, far as I am concerned, one of their worst hardships is having to live day and night with such an awful person as themselves."

"Yeah, sorry, still a saint. I don't care if you're alive, they'll just have to make an exception for you. I'd suggest just correcting the mistake, but I wouldn't put it past Logan to decide to take on the entire Catholic Church for making such stupid rules in the first place."

"Oh, I don't know. I think it's much more likely he'd take his ire out on whoever tried to change my happily alive status." Kurt gave him a teasing grin, then turned more serious. "Actually, I do count myself rather fortunate. Most people don't react well to me, no, but as long as I'm among friends, I can lead a normal life. I have no trouble processing the world around me, my mutation doesn't cause me pain as long as I account for the differences in my physiology, and I don't have to worry about harming myself or others by accident. I have a loving family and plenty of friends, and from the first time I drew breath, my parents have done nothing but adore me. Really, I'm one of the lucky ones."

"And we all have our hardships, huh." Tommy shook his head, stepping away from the window. "Well, I suppose there's not much point in arguing with an optimist, especially if sticking to my point would mean telling you that your life sucks and you just haven't noticed it. That kind of shit never ends well for anyone. Besides, I may have agreed to meet Pietro, and however fast I am, I do actually have to leave before the agreed time not to be late."

"So. What do I tell Matt's parents when they inevitably insist on paying for the rather expensive phone you've given their son?"

Tommy's face took on the expression of one who pauses to think for a second, even though for him it was truly a fleeting moment. "Tell them I wouldn't feel right charging anything for helping out a lonely kid. If they really want to do something in return, though, there's this new charity they can donate to that's planning to help other kids like Matt."

"And if they'd like to hear more about that?"

"I'm sure the Professor can fill them in on the details." A brief grin flashed on Tommy's face. "It's certainly better than having them contact the head directly." And with that statement he then vanished, too fast for the eye to track.

Kurt's eyes wandered back outside, where Matt was busy explaining something to his parents. They lingered close, wanting to stay close to him while they could. Not all of the children at the school were as fortunate, or even had a home to return to over breaks.

Perhaps he should ask the Professor for some details, himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy meets with Pietro and gets an idea, though Logan doesn't exactly approve. Billy and Teddy have their own worries, though, and an upcoming field trip isn't the only thing stirring up a fuss at Xavier's.

"So." All of a sudden someone was standing next to the table, in that annoying way that makes standing people seem so much taller even though they're really not, just because you're sitting down at the moment. Tommy rather hated that, but resisted the urge to jump to his feet to make up the difference. "You wanted to meet me?"

"Ah, hi, Uncle dearest." Tommy flashed him his best annoying grin. "Do sit down. I already ordered for you."

"Oh?" Pietro lifted his eyebrows. "And dare I ask what you got for me?"

"The same thing I got. A caramel latte with whipped cream and sprinkles. Maggie almost told me off before I explained I wasn't going to drink them both at once." Tommy's grin just widened as Pietro sat down opposite to him.

"No offense meant," yeah, right, "but most people wouldn't assume someone else is happy to consume enough sugar to send an entire kindergarten class jumping off the walls." And yet Pietro did pick up the coffee, taking a cautious sip.

"Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity. Scientific fact." Why, yes, he had heard it from Tony. Obviously this was no reason to doubt such wisdom. "Also, you forget I've got the same metabolism as you do." Tommy pointed a finger at Pietro. "Even if it's more efficient than most people's, short of sitting on our asses all day, we're going to have to go for either sugar or fat to keep up. And since I doubt Wanda would look kindly upon you stuffing your face with lard, it's actually a rather safe bet that even if you weren't the biggest fan of sugary drinks, you're going to at least appreciate the energy content."

For a moment Pietro looked as grim as ever, then took on a small smirk. "Quick thinking. I like that."

"What can I say? I'm very good at it." He took a small sip of his own drink. It was good as ever. There was a reason he had taken to frequenting the place about as soon as he first found it. "I'm good at quick everything, mind. The younger, improved model of you, as one might say."

"Please. You wouldn't know speed if it hit you on the head." Pietro eyed him over his own coffee. "Is that why you wanted to see me? Feel like a race?"

Tommy gave a dramatic sigh. "Alas, no. Much though I'd love that, I was very firmly informed that I may not make a race the point of our first proper meeting." Well, the first proper meeting that didn't mainly involve Wanda and Ororo and Billy being all sweet and Pietro or Tommy possibly hovering somewhere in the background. Not that he was going to think of Billy at all. Nope.

"Ah." Pietro's smirk grew wider. "The girlfriend clause?"

"Indeed. No, I don't know how she plans to put me in the doghouse when I'm not even living in the Tower right now, but believe me, if anyone could do that, it's Kate." Again, he pointed at Pietro in an accusing manner. "And don't you dare say a word. You're the one who abandoned civilization for decades to keep company to your sister."

"I wasn't going to say anything." And yet his shit-eating grin said otherwise. "So. If not for a race, why did you want to meet?"

"Actually, I was a bit curious as to whether you took the job offer." At Pietro's unimpressed look, he shrugged. "What? Of course I know, I've been made into some kind of a go-between in all this. First Tony needed me to contact your dear old dad, and then Erik in turn wants me to play messenger with Charles because he's not quite ready to face him yet, or something. So in the middle of all of that, of course I'd know they wanted to hire you."

"I'm thinking about it." Which wasn't a no, as Pietro well knew. "As much as I hate the idea of being connected to my father, it is something I could do."

"Don't think of it as working for Erik. You'll mainly be connected to Charles, either way, especially since his school is the main site of action. And, well, you'd be the best man for the job. Aside from yours truly, of course, but I'm kind of busy otherwise, too." Tommy shook his head. "At the moment it's usually Charles and Raven going out when there's a report about a new mutant, from what I've gathered. Except they can only travel so fast, and from what we're seeing, the incidents are becoming more frequent. Whereas someone with our speed could pretty much check in everywhere without worrying about wasting time on false alarms."

"Which is why I haven't said no yet." Pietro grimaced briefly. "If it was anything else, I would have. I'm far from convinced that my father's actually turning a new leaf; in my opinion, it's far more likely this is some kind of a scheme to get in everyone's good graces so he can use Wanda or you kids to his own ends. However, Charles will actually need that help regardless of whether this thing with father falls through."

"And you'll have a good reason to be around the school a lot when Wanda and Ororo finally go there, while still keeping some distance so she can learn to survive without you." As he saw the minute twitch of expression, he smirked in turn. "What? I'm a big brother, too, you know. A shitty one, yeah, but still."

"And why exactly is that?" Pietro raised his eyebrows. "I've heard things from here and there, but nobody would actually tell me much more than that there was a fight and then you ran off to join Charles's well-meaning little commune."

"A bunch of insecurities, mostly. That, and Billy probably hates me now, and it's better for him if he does. He's seriously far too trusting, doesn't know what's best for him. Good thing he's got Teddy to keep him safe, and me to keep the fuck away from him."

"Aren't you just a ray of fucking sunshine."

"I'm contractually obligated to be the token evil teammate. Comes with the hair, you know." Tommy gave him a half-hearted smirk. "It's the not getting feelings thing and all. Even when we manage to care, we do it in fucked-up ways."

"I'd say to leave me out of this, but I can't really argue as much as I'd like to." Before Pietro could continue, though, a fist suddenly planted itself on the table between them.

"Hey, watch it, asshole! You almost spilled my coffee." Then, taking a moment to consider things, Tommy repeated the same, only slower. It had been frighteningly easy to slip to a faster pace of talking with Pietro, much the same way he did with Matt, but it always took him a moment to get his brain back on the same gear as the rest of the world. Or, well, close enough to it that he could pretend.

"What the hell are you freaks doing here?"

"Uh, what's it look like?" Tommy frowned up at the man who had walked up to their table, eyeing them both in a rather threatening manner. "We were enjoying coffee and good company, all by ourselves, until you decided to ruin the mood."

"People like you," and somehow that managed to sound as hateful as any slur Tommy had ever encountered, "should be locked up somewhere."

"Wait, what'd we do now?" Tommy glanced at Pietro. He didn't seem to explode just yet, which was a good thing. As annoyed as he was, causing a scene would not have been a good thing for his continued access to caramel latte. Well, more of a scene than there already was. "We were sitting and talking and not bothering anyone."

"Talking? You sounded like a bunch of babies babbling." And, yes, their words probably sounded rather high-pitched and unintelligible to the bystander, but babies? Really? "I don't want any of that freaky shit around me."

Pietro was now about to stand up, and Tommy almost mourned his lovely coffee already, when another voice joined the conversation. "Funny thing, that." This voice was one Tommy recognized well, from having heard it every time he wished to trade a fraction of his wealth for caffeinated sugary goodness. "I definitely don't want anyone causing trouble in my shop."

The man turned around halfway, joining Pietro and Tommy in looking at Maggie. The owner of the coffee shop, she was a black woman about half the man's size and twice his age, with a thick Southern drawl that always made Tommy wonder just how she had ended up running a coffee shop up in Westchester of all places. Right now she had her hands on her hips, looking at each of them in disapproval.

"We didn't do anything!" Tommy hurried to explain. "We were just sitting here, when suddenly he barges up and starts cursing at us."

"You saw them!" the man spat, pointing at them with the same disdain one might reserve for a filthy farm animal. "They aren't fucking right, either of them!"

"Really? Because I'd have thought you're the one who is wrong." Maggie glared at the man. "Get out."

"Me? What the hell -"

"I said, get out." Maggie showed no mercy in cutting the man off. "This is my shop, and you're harassing my customers. Get out, and don't bother showing up again."

Tommy watched the man bluster for another moment, then turn around and march out of the coffee shop. A few other customers watched him go with curious expressions, but soon returned to their own conversations.

"You know he's right, though." And clearly he was still annoyed if he went looking for trouble. "We aren't exactly normal."

"Kid, you've been here at least once a day for the last couple of weeks, and I'm not stupid. Even if I hadn't recognized your face, Mr. Stark Heir, I would have noticed the speed you play with your phone. Not even the most bored school kid can manage that, and believe me, I've seen my fair share of them in here."

"What can I say? We're all slaves to your incredible coffee, Maggie." Tommy flashed her his best grin, then turned more serious. "And that doesn't bother you?"

"Why? You aren't bothering the rest of the paying customers. And no," she threw a glare in the direction of the door, "just being here doesn't count as bothering anyone."

"And if it was someone who's more obviously a mutant, not just moving and talking a bit fast?" And yeah, now he was just prodding on purpose. "Like someone who's green, or purple? Or if someone had wings or a tail or glowing horns with pink polkadots?" Not that he knew of any actual examples of the last, but you never knew. Mutations could get freaky.

"Boy, I wouldn't have gotten this far in life if I cared about the color of anything but my customers' money. You know someone with horns, tell them to come on in long as they don't start headbutting anyone."

"You know what," Tommy said, and couldn't help but grin, "I think I just might."

"Uh-oh," Pietro murmured under his breath as Maggie bustled back to the counter. "You've got an idea, don't you?"

"Now, I see no reason for you to sound so very apprehensive." Tommy tried to put on an indignant air, but the still lingering grin probably spoiled that a bit. "My ideas are awesome."

"Our family's not exactly known for our great ideas. I doubt that would be very different in another world."

"Oh, please. This is a wonderful idea and you'll see it soon enough." And if nothing else, it would give him something to do for a day or five.

A distraction from his own thoughts was hardly unwelcome.

*

"This is stupid."

"Why, thank you. It is always nice to know my contributions are appreciated." Pepper's voice didn't betray any emotion whatsoever, though he was sure she was smirking on the inside. He'd seen her dealing with Tony often enough.

"You know that's not what I meant." Billy sighed. "You're not stupid, your helping me is not stupid. Just... all of this. I thought it would be much simpler."

"If you want it simple, you'll have to elope, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, I don't think that would work. Kate and Tommy reserved that already, so we're likely the only actual wedding about to happen in this little clan any time soon. If we tried to skip the whole mess as well, we would be hearing about it long after I've turned as white as Tommy." Billy sighed, staring at the various papers she had spread on the table in front of him. "So, all I can do is complain."

"Fair enough. But while you are complaining, you could at least try to do something about this. We're all happy to help, but there are decisions only you and Teddy can make."

"You'd think we would at least have a say in what decisions there are to make, though." He wasn't actually contemplating eloping, of course. He wanted to marry Teddy, and he wanted to celebrate that with all the important people in their lives. And that meant a big party, which obviously led to a lot of things to do and decide. It was their choice, ultimately, and he was going to follow through; still, surely a little bit of complaining was allowed, too.

"Of course you do, within reason." Pepper smirked. "It's just that some of those decisions are more or less unavoidable."

"So I've been led to believe." He poked at a couple of papers. "Why exactly do we need a registry, anyway?" That was, in his opinion, a perfect example of making things far more complicated than they could have possibly needed to be.

"Because trying to buy wedding gifts without any idea of what to get is a terrible headache, and it would be mean to do that to your guests." Pepper shook her head. "You don't want to make things difficult for them, do you?"

"But it's not like we need anything. And it's certainly not like we can't afford just about anything we might need, anyway." Billy sighed. "Can't we just tell everyone not to buy us gifts?"

"No. First of all, it would be rude to assume they would get you a gift. And secondly, some people would still buy you gifts. Not because they feel obligated to, not because it's what you're supposed to do, but because they want to. If people want to show you kindness, surely the least you can do is make it easier for them."

"But that doesn't even make sense." Billy sighed. "I told you, it's not like we really need anything. Wouldn't it be pointless to make a list of things we don't need either way, just so people don't accidentally buy something else we have no need for?"

"That's not true, though." And of course she still wasn't affected in the slightest by his grumbling. Then, he supposed he was rather easy compared with the business people she had to deal with on a regular basis. Never mind Tony. "You aren't planning to live next door to your parents forever, are you?"

Billy blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Precisely what I said." Pepper set aside the tablet she had been tapping at, reaching to carefully straighten all the papers on the table. "I know you're perfectly happy to be living here with everyone, and on one hand, it's not like anything major will change all of a sudden just because you'll be legally married. Even so, you're grown men, and sooner or later you'll probably feel like moving out. Especially considering that your powers mean there is no need for you to live in the Tower just so you can be easily reached in case of an emergency."

"And that would be all right?" Somehow, he could so easily imagine Tony starting to drop passive-aggressive mentions of how their company wasn't good enough and what not.

"Of course. It'd be quite understandable if you decided to move out. And even if you aren't doing it right away, it is usually assumed you will start your own household sooner or later. As such, it would be perfectly acceptable for you to register for things you will need at that point, even if you aren't moving out the moment you get back from your honeymoon."

"Right." That... wasn't such a strange idea, actually. "I think I'd better talk about that with Teddy, though."

"Of course. It's supposed to be for both of you, after all." Pepper finally allowed a small smile to curl her lips. "And believe me, if anyone gives you a hard time about it, you will have my full support. I for one understand if someone needs their space instead of spending their entire life within two floors from Tony."

Billy chuckled. "It's great to know we have such a loving and healthy relationship to look at for an example of how to do things right," he teased as he stood up, accepting the papers she had now neatly stacked and handed to him. "So, I'll talk with Teddy, and we'll make a registry of things we'll need when we do move out. I mean, if you don't think people will think it's strange."

"Rather, it's pretty traditional to do so." Pepper's smile grew brighter. "Don't stress about it too much, though. It'll be easier than you think, and it's not like you have to do it all at once. And believe me, it will make your guests' lives a lot easier."

"I'll try to remember that when I feel like screaming in terror."

She was chuckling when he walked away, so obviously he hadn't been too offensive or anything.

He wondered if she would still be as amused if he got Teddy to agree with his idea.

*

It was nice, getting a break sometimes.

Oh, Logan wasn't exactly worked to the bone, but even outside the classes there was usually the expectation that they would be ready to jump up if there was any sign of trouble, and certainly keep an eye on the kids if any were nearby. As such, aside from his brief smoke breaks, there rarely was an opportunity to relax as long as the kids were up.

The relief came late at night, though, as most of the kids were in their rooms, either asleep or preparing for such, and certainly not requiring constant adult supervision. This meant the adults could finally cut back on the responsibility shit, and do something actually enjoyable, such as congregating in the best TV room with a game and a beer. Better yet, nobody was actually expecting him to be sociable, aside from not pushing Kurt to the floor as he decided to stretch himself over Logan's lap, apparently absorbed in a book. Because Kurt would think that was more entertaining than watching a game.

It wasn't that they were alone, precisely, but then he had long since accepted that the price of watching something on the big screen was sharing said screen with others. At least he had Bobby as an ally, voting for ice hockey over baseball during the span where the seasons overlapped, which wasn't a guaranteed victory against the poor taste of Warren and Raven but did work out for them more often than not. He rather suspected the only reason Raven even got involved was to annoy him, for all that she claimed it was her Duty as a responsible PE teacher to follow sports. A couple of the oldest students sometimes sneaked in as well, but they weren't allowed to vote, because this was not the time for students for once.

At least nobody was stupid enough to try and take his beer.

The professor actually preferred tea, sipping it from a ridiculously delicate cup as he read, apparently sharing Kurt's strange opinion that the company of others was valuable in itself, even if they were in the same room doing entirely different things. He often did this, appearing in a room where others were gathered for some purpose or another, appearing quite happy to take part without taking part. He only ever stayed in his office in the evenings if there was work to be done, or, if one believed Raven, if there was work he absolutely couldn't put off any longer. He was strange sometimes, their esteemed Professor.

"Oi, Professor." And here was Tommy all of a sudden, hair messy and a grin on his face, sticking out a sheet of paper at Charles. "Here's the preliminary plan. Still have to confirm most of the supervisors, but everything else's in order."

"Ah, thank you, Tommy." Charles smiled, looking at the paper. "Yes, this does seem to cover all the practical concerns."

"What's going on?" Logan frowned. Maybe he was paranoid, but he wasn't sure he liked anything that involved a plan made by a Stark. "Anything blows up, I'm not responsible."

"Oh, nothing quite like that." Charles chuckled. "Tommy here has merely taken it upon himself to plan a field trip for us this weekend."

"A what?" Logan blinked. "Field trip where? Why?"

"Just out to town, nothing more dangerous." Tommy grinned. "I figured that, well, some of the kids never really go out, and even for those that do it's usually pretty scheduled, so there's not much to enjoy. So, I'm going to take them all out for a day, let them do what they want for once."

"You know there's a reason most kids stick to the school." Like not getting chased out with torches and pitchforks.

"Yes, but that's why we have the plan." Kurt turned over to his back to grin at Logan, and what, now he was involved, too? "You see, Tommy has gone around all the nearby businesses and asked about their feelings regarding mutants. We have quite a significant list of places with an open doors policy. Stickers, too, for them to put in the store windows if they welcome mutants."

"Not to be a party pooper, but I kind of see a flaw in that plan." Thank you, Warren, for joining Logan in the common sense corner. "Do you really think anyone is going to say no if Thomas Stark asks if he would be welcome?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Which is why I took Kurt with me when I went around confirming everything for the final list. Since, you know, if they don't have a problem with him, they'll be fine with any of the kids."

"Oi." Logan didn't bother to hold back the growl that rose from his throat. "The elf isn't some kind of a fucking mutant weirdness litmus test for you to parade around." Like he didn't get enough trouble for his appearance as it was.

"Thank you for your concern, Mein Freund, but that was actually my idea." Kurt's tail flicked against his cheek. "I rather support this plan. I know well the burden of not wanting to appear in public, and do not wish for the children to grow up with such worries. And who knows? Perhaps with this, I will grow more comfortable with going out, myself."

"And you're not worried about what might happen if people find out the school's full of mutants?" Bobby looked over to the professor. And that, that was another very valid point.

"We cannot hide forever, my friends. Certainly not now that the existence of mutants has become public." As though the Professor hadn't personally orchestrated the twins' little reveal on live TV. Logan knew better. "At the moment, the public opinion on mutants is based mostly on well-known heroes, and as such is quite positive. There could never be a better time for us to reveal our hand to take advantage of that good publicity. I do believe this will be the best way to introduce the children to the outside world in a safe and somewhat controlled manner."

"We've been hiding long enough as it is." Raven stretched herself, and what was this? He'd have expected at least her to take his side, rather than joining Charles's bright-eyed idealism. "You're lacking adult supervision, hmm? Count me in. I suspect Irene's going to want to run after the younger brats, and someone has to make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble."

"This is going to end up in a fucking disaster." Logan sighed. "Guess I'll have to come along to make sure none of you get burned at a stake."

"So very gracious of you." And why was Kurt smirking at him? "I'm sure it will be a most pleasant outing all around."

And this? This was why they needed him around. Him and Raven, except she had apparently taken leave of her senses and forgotten her very healthy cynicism about the dangers of the world, but especially him. He should have just left them to their own devices, really, natural selection and all that, but apparently even he was damaged enough to want to stick around and make sure none of these idiots got themselves killed too easily.

He wondered if caring counted as an STD. Clearly, he had been contaminated.

*

"So." Teddy waited until Billy had properly settled down on the couch before setting the bowl of popcorn half in each of their laps, reaching his arm around Billy's shoulders. The living room on the common floor was empty save for the two of them, a rather rare occurrence, but not one they were going to pass by. "What can we actually, you know, do?"

"Well, I've looked up a few etiquette sites online." Billy sank a hand into the bowl, coming out with a handful of popcorn that he started carefully picking bit by bit into his mouth. "Basically, most of them agree we shouldn't ask for anything that's not actually for us, which makes sense. Because, you know, they're wedding gifts, so they're supposed to be about us. Similarly, there shouldn't be anything that's only for one of us."

"Makes sense." Teddy nodded. "Anything more specific than that?"

"Not much. A lot of people seem to disagree on what is and isn't okay to ask, though most do think asking for money is tacky. Not that we're going to do that either way." His eyes were technically on the TV, but Teddy suspected he was paying just as little attention to the movie as Teddy himself was. They just needed an excuse for some snacking after another rather exhausting day.

"Right. But if it's for both of us, that should be all right?"

"From what I can gather, yes. I'll have to check with Pepper, she'll know if anyone, but it can't be that complicated, I hope." Billy made a face for a moment. "Even if it certainly seems like it."

"We'll figure it out. And besides, we've got two heads working on it, at least." Teddy took some popcorn as well. Better get some into his mouth before Billy made his way through the entire bowl. "I mean, how hard can it be to put together a list of things we might like?"

"You're lucky I love you or I just might swat you for that." Instead, though, Billy just snuggled even closer to him. "So, we'll get started on that tomorrow, right? Because I'm damn well not thinking about any registries tonight."

"Right." Teddy chuckled and nuzzled Billy's hair, just a little. Then he pressed a kiss to his cheek, lips scratching at the slightest hint of a stubble. Yes, it had been a long day. "No thinking of any of that. Though while I remember, Tony did make some demands on that count."

"Oh?" Billy lifted his eyebrows. "I thought he was going to stay as far away from any arrangements as possible."

"Apparently some old friend of his had asked him to pass on a message." Teddy shrugged a bit. "Said friend makes a habit of buying newlyweds a bed, and if there isn't one on our registry to help them choose, they're going to buy a bunk bed just to make a point. And, according to Tony, they're perfectly capable of making us actually use it." He paused. "He did mention that he met this so-called friend through Charles. I didn't ask about any blue skin, but it would make sense."

"So, what? We're going to have a bed bought by Mystique? That seems... I don't know. Either kind of twisted awesome or utterly terrifying, I'm not sure which. And I don't doubt she would keep that threat, too."

"Tony does have the strangest acquaintances sometimes." Teddy hmmed. "Anything else we should be concerned about? Besides the registry, that is?" It was always best to discuss such things when they had something to at least nominally distract themselves. If they sat down to discuss nothing but wedding things, it got overwhelming very quickly.

"Well, we do need to actually think about clothes. And I think I know what I want to do about that." As Teddy made a questioning sound, Billy chuckled. "Did you know there's a rather well-known designer in this world by the name of Janet van Dyne?"

"Really?" Teddy blinked. "I mean, I'm not surprised she'd be doing that, most people are at least somewhat similar, but, you know." Billy knew, of course he knew. For all the differences between the worlds, sometimes the similarities made everything else seem even more disconcerting.

"Apparently, yeah. And one of her recent collections was explicitly superhero-inspired. She's not much into men's clothing, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try and contact her. If nothing else, she could certainly make something for our bridesmaids and Pepper."

Teddy nodded. "And if she won't try her hand at something for us, Pepper can probably recommend someone else. I mean, she's kept Tony decently clothed for who knows how long."

"Exactly. But if we can get Janet to work for us, I'd certainly prefer that." Billy paused. "I wonder if this is one of the worlds where she's a mutant."

"I suppose we might find out." Teddy drew Billy just a bit closer. "Not a lot of them around here, though. At least, not until recently."

"Well, there are some around, they've just been out of sight. Still nowhere near as many as there used to be back in the old world, though." And here, something caught Teddy's ear. Not anything Billy had said, not as such, but more something he hadn't said.

"You didn't say our world."

"Ah. No." Billy sighed. "Because... it isn't, you know. Not anymore, at least. We can't go back there, at least not for good, and if we tried that'd probably cause all sorts of problems. So, it's not ours anymore. Whatever it used to be has no bearing on that."

"We've got this one, now, though." Teddy hummed thoughtfully under his breath. "Is this our world, then?"

"Well, it's all we've got right now, isn't it?" And there might have been the slightest hint of bitterness in Billy's voice at those words. That was something Teddy had to get rid of at the earliest opportunity. The only one Billy had to be bitter at was himself, of course, and that just wouldn't do.

"Nobody blames you, Billy." He kept his words soft, just barely audible over the sound of the movie. "Except yourself, perhaps, and you know how I feel about that."

"Tommy certainly seems to." And there was that, of course. There was always going to be that. "He told Kate he doesn't belong here, you know. That all of us have a place here but he doesn't. How can he think that, Teddy?"

"It's not that unthinkable, really." He knew Billy was about to respond, but took his hand to halt him. "No, hear me out. I'm not saying he isn't important or whatever, but, well, I can understand that. The feeling of not belonging, of not knowing what you're supposed to do. It's… not a nice feeling." He would have known.

"Teddy." Billy turned towards him, now, the bowl almost falling off as he shifted. Teddy turned his head to face him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Billy, love… you know what you're supposed to do." He let his thumb rub the hand he was still holding, gentle, gentle. "Ever since you first realized you had powers. First you were a mutant, and you wanted to be a hero. Then you had magic, and you wanted to learn how to use that. And now, in this place, you're even more focused on that, on learning everything you can about your magic and that of others, because in this place magic is still hidden and new and there is a place for you to fill in keeping it under control. And that's great, don't take me wrong, I would never begrudge you that. But the fact is, things aren't that easy for everyone."

"I'm just doing what I can." Billy's eyes dropped, now. "Just like everyone else."

"Indeed. But not everyone else has such a clear view of what they're supposed to do. I know I still wonder what I'm doing. Yes, I know, I'm important and all that," he hasted to say as Billy again seemed about to interrupt. "But, well. Back in the old world," he may have put more emphasis on the words than strictly necessary, "I always figured I'd eventually have to do something about the Skrull, or the Kree, or both. I don't know if I will, the other me, that is, but I guess that was as close to a destiny as I ever had. And now we're in a world where neither of them has ever been seen, and for all that I'm glad not to be the cause of any more wars, I was also somewhat at a loss at first."

"I'm sorry." Billy murmured this, only barely audible, but it wasn't like Teddy was about to miss that.

"Don't be. It was a relief, really, though sometimes I feel guilty for knowing that my other self will still have to deal with all that crap. It wasn't an easy burden, even just a potential one, and I did do all I could to avoid taking it on my shoulders. But when I first realized I was free of that, I also wondered what I was supposed to do, then." He gave Billy a faint smile. "I know that now, of course. I know I'm the face of Avengers when Steve isn't there and Tony might be too abrasive. It's not what I would have chosen for myself, but I'm good at it, and it's needed. We need someone who can talk to people and not drive them away or make them angry or scared, and God knows that for all your good qualities, you Starks aren't going to do any of that in the long run."

Billy almost managed to return his smile. "It's not my fault I never learned to keep my thoughts to myself. Well, technically it is, but I rather prefer it that way."

"I know. And believe me, I prefer you like this as well. You wouldn't be the Billy Kaplan I first fell in love with if you worried about what others will think of you and your opinions. But not all people can deal with that, and that's why I'm here, and why I'll always be here. And yeah, it's kind of fucked up that our most easily accepted public faces tend to be blond and blue-eyed and as WASPish as this team has, but then I'm occasionally green and Steve has both arms full when he goes out on a date and neither of us has been openly declared demonic yet, so maybe there's still hope for the great American public."

"But none of that makes Tommy hate me any less."

"Bee, love, you know him. If he actually hated you, there would be no doubt left about it. He wouldn't just turn tail and run." Teddy shook his head. "Tommy may be jealous, yes, and that's understandable. You have everything figured out, while he's still working on it all. But that doesn't mean he's going to hate you, not even after that fight you had. You're still his brother, and once he's got everything figured out he'll be back like nothing had ever happened, snarking at you for daring to be worried and making outlandish plans for a bachelor party."

"But even if that's true, he shouldn't feel like that in the first place."

"As I said, it's not as easy for everyone. It might be unpleasant to have someone shove a duty on you, but if it's something you can accept, you can make it your own. Tommy hasn't had that, nor has he found his path as naturally as you did, and as much as he might hate having someone tell him where to go it's also not easy to have no direction at all. And if he feels this is how he's going to find it, we should let him."

"Or maybe he actually does hate me and doesn't plan to come back no matter what."

"Bee, look at me." As Billy did not do so, Teddy touched his chin gently, which finally made him lift his gaze. "I promise you, Tommy will be there for the wedding, and he'll be happy to be there. I'll drag him there myself if I have to, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll want to be there." Whether Tommy himself believed he was wanted was another matter. This family had the strangest bouts of self-doubt every now and then.

"I… guess I'll take your word for that." Billy gave him a faint smile yet again. "Though I guess you won't give me much choice either way."

"Well, you're kind of supposed to look forward to our wedding. I doubt that'll be happening if you spend your time worrying whether you'll have a best man at all." He leaned in to kiss Billy. "Now, let's stop worrying for a bit, okay? I say we watch the rest of the movie, order some pizza, and then play videogames late enough that we can make stupid remarks when Tony's trio gets back from their date."

"I do like a man with a concrete plan." Billy curled up, now, leaning against him once again, and Teddy settled an arm securely around him. Yes, Billy definitely needed a night without worrying.

Teddy would just do the worrying in his stead.

*

Logan was not, in fact, pacing like a caged animal.

Kurt wanted to make this distinction clear, if only to himself. He had seen how Logan acted when he felt trapped, and such situations only resolved themselves through either violence or an escape. Neither was a preferable outcome here, but then, they also weren't very likely. This wasn't Logan being trapped; the feeling he was having trouble with was rather different, though no less troublesome for someone like him.

Kurt stayed quiet as he watched Logan walk around in the room. He'd walk one way for a while, halt for a moment, then turn in an abrupt manner and walk the other way again. At no point did he say anything, and he most definitely did not look anywhere even remotely close to Kurt. After all, that might have forced him to admit things he wasn't quite ready to face.

With the experience of several years Kurt waited, patient as ever, until Logan came to a halt in front of the window. He then hopped off the bed, where he had been seated, tiptoeing closer on silent, bare feet. The only indication Logan gave of noticing his approach was a minute tensing of his shoulders, there and gone again so fast he might have almost missed it had he not been looking for it. If the tension hadn't been there, he would have made some sound before reaching Logan's side. He knew better than to sneak up on him unannounced.

"You needn't be worried, you know." He knew Logan was about to speak, and silenced him with a hand set on his arm. "No, don't disagree with me, Liebling. Call it what you wish, suspicion if that suits you better, but it's clear enough the situation bothers you."

Logan made a sound very close to a growl deep in his throat. "This won't end well."

"Perhaps it won't." Because for all his optimism, he was his mother's son in the end. "Perhaps it will all lead to a disaster, as you think. Perhaps the day will end with crying children and us considering moving the whole school elsewhere. I do not believe that is likely, but I'd be stupid to say it's not a possibility all the same."

"You're still going through with this idiotic plan, though." Logan knew him too well to turn that into a question.

"Indeed I am. Because as I said, I do not think the bad outcome is very likely. All told, I do believe the potential gains far outweigh the bad points."

"You're always looking on the bright side of everything, though. Even if you've got to come up with your own light to make one." Logan snorted. "Hell, you're living with me. That, if anything, proves you're not all right in the head when it comes to staying out of trouble."

"You know I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe it to be perfectly safe." Not because he did not trust Logan, but because he knew Logan didn't trust himself. And, sorry though he was to say this, sometimes the mistrust was warranted.

"And you know that's only because your power would get you out of the way in time." Logan's hand brushed the side of his face, so gentle it was hard to believe such rough hands would be capable of it. His gaze, however, was still sweeping the grounds outside. "The world's not all smiles and sunshine, elf."

"I know that, Liebchen." He leaned into the touch, just a bit, before it went away. "However, if we only ever see the shadows, what light there is will go out before long."

"And if you refuse to see any, you won't know when you're walking into a big hole."

"I told you, I'm aware of the risks. And believe me, so is Tommy, and everyone else involved with the plan. Yes, even the Professor. We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't believe the odds to be on our side." He stepped a bit closer. "Everything will be fine, Logan. Perhaps there will be some people who react less than favorably, but all in all, I believe it will be a success. And for the children, it will be more important than you could ever imagine."

"Except it's not that simple and you know it. And not all of us are just harmless and misunderstood." Logan clenched his hand. Kurt set his own hand over it. If he focused, he could feel the lines of the claws underneath the rough skin.

"Perhaps not harmless, no. But I do think some more understanding wouldn't be amiss." He rubbed his hand over the clenched fist. "Come to bed, Liebling. Tomorrow will come regardless of your glares, and we'd better be well rested if we wish to have any hope of staying on top of the situation."

"Right." Logan sighed, turning away from the window at last. "Still not sure why I agreed to come along to this."

"Because you care about me and the children and wouldn't want us to come to harm from all these threats you are certain will strike?" It was, he believed, more than enough proof of the truth of his words that Logan didn't bother to argue.

They had just turned toward the bed when it happened.

The sound was distant at first, like that of a plane flying overhead. However, it steadily grew louder, until it was a deep rumble that probably awoke some of the lightest sleepers. As one Logan and Kurt rushed back to the window, looking for the source of the noise.

Something incredibly bright was carving its way across the night sky, trailing a stream of fire behind it. The apparition was crashing, that much was clear, heading down in a direct line until it disappeared behind the trees. Then there was a loud crash, one that could easily be heard through the closed window even with the woods between them and wherever it had landed. A moment of silence followed, and then footsteps and worried voices started echoing through the mansion. Most of the children were probably asleep, but enough were still awake to cause a commotion.

'Everyone, please calm down.' At least Charles was on top of the situation, as always. His thoughts reached all around the school, radiating calmness. 'While I'm sure this was a startling sight, it was merely a meteorite. There is no reason for panic.'

'Do we know where it landed?' Kurt sent toward Charles, his hand gripping Logan's arm. 'There's nothing in the woods in that direction, is there?'

'Nothing but trees, I assure you.' This one wasn't the regular broadcast, but a more private message, though Kurt suspected it was reached to Logan as well. 'My only concern is the chance of a fire, but then the lake is in that direction as well.'

'We should go and check.' Right away, too, before things got out of hand.

'Not to worry. Tommy has already promised to do that for us; he can find the crash site and report back with full details faster than any of us could even get there.'

'Good.' Kurt relaxed, just a little, though he still didn't let go of Logan's arm. 'I — we'll stay up until he comes back, in case we're needed.'

'Thank you. We may also require your assistance if some of the children are especially frightened, but I do believe I can get them all to calm down. Fortunately the youngest ones were all already in bed.'

'Right. Remind them they all need plenty of rest for our trip tomorrow. That should hopefully be more exciting than a big chunk of rock.'

'I certainly hope it will be.' Then Charles's thoughts drew away, leaving them alone in the room.

Kurt glanced at Logan, who nodded. "I heard it all," he confirmed. "We'll wait to hear if we're needed. Not that there's going to be much for us to do, anyway; even if a fire got started, all we'd need to do is give Bobby some coffee. He could ice the moon if he was caffeinated enough."

"You exaggerate, Mein Freund." Even so, Kurt found himself smiling. The adrenaline spike of the startle was draining away, and somehow, his own lingering worries escaped with it.

It was a good thing Tommy reported back with his all clear before they had even made it to the bed, because Kurt would not have had the energy to leave it again.

*

It was supposed to be a simple enough thing.

And really, all things considered, it was. He'd still been awake when it happened, so rushing outside had been simple enough. After a quick mental conversation with the Professor, he had headed into the woods, looking for any evidence of the crash.

There hadn't been charred trees or a crater, at least not one he could immediately see, but his job had still been quite easy. As he reached the lake it was clear there had been a big splash, with the ground and plants along one shore soaked through. No fire, though, nor anything else that would have required immediate attention, so he had reached out to Charles and let him know all was well.

He couldn't just leave it there, though, now could he. It was just sensible to look further, there might have been small parts coming off that could be starting fires elsewhere after all, and no this had nothing to do with the fact that he had plenty of nervous energy in preparation for the field trip the following day. That would have been ridiculous. No, he was running around the forest just to make sure nothing was catching fire, not in an effort to exhaust himself into sleeping, and besides —

There was someone on the shore.

At first he almost thought he was mistaken, but as he took another glance, it was clear enough there was indeed someone lying there. Someone who wasn't moving. That probably wasn't a good sign.

Tommy rushed over, crouching down next to the unmoving figure. It probably wasn't the best policy, but then, he was certain he could dodge in time if there was any actual threat. It didn't look like there was any reason to worry, anyway; the person appeared unconscious. Which obviously was plenty of cause for a different kind of worrying, but that was neither here nor there.

The worst thing was, he knew the guy.

Okay, so he probably didn't know this particular guy. Not in this world, or this incarnation, but he recognized him instantly nevertheless. Perhaps they weren't the only people besides Pietro and Erik to go running about with white hair, but the face was familiar enough as he turned the poor bastard over to his back. Sure, there were rather bad burns here and there, accompanied by a few bleeding wounds, but the face belonged to Noh-Varr, no mistake about it.

Which meant they had just had a Kree ship crash into the lake. Splendid. Just when they had started to think their past couldn't follow them all this way.

Then, he was pretty sure this wasn't the same Noh-Varr they had met. He looked younger, somewhat, less bitter, though that might have been just the whole being unconscious thing. And from what he remembered, the original one had been from another dimension anyway, so these Kree were probably from yet another world. Which might mean they weren't out to conquer the Earth, or it might mean they were even more of a threat. That would be fun to figure out.

There was no point to worrying, though, not when there was a man apparently busy bleeding out in front of him. As long as there was no evidence to the contrary, he could just as well treat him as a friendly, just be prepared to dodge very fast if he needed to. After all, he was supposed to be a hero, wasn't he?

Tommy carefully gathered the unconscious Kree into his arms, quietly thankful for his slightly stronger than average frame. Quick thinking time, not that there ever was anything different. For all that he might have assumed this Noh-Varr wasn't hostile, it still wouldn't have been a good idea to take him to the school. Even if he didn't have evil intentions, he might be out of sorts when he woke up, and could lash out in the worst way. And if he wasn't such a good guy, well, that was all the more reason not to just carry him right over to the school. He couldn't take him to the Tower, either, not without facing questions he didn't know the answers to, and SHIELD was obviously out of the question. Which just left him with one obvious choice.

He remembered a book sometime, or maybe it had been a movie, where a kid had been raising a puppy out in the woods because it wasn't allowed in his house. Surely this couldn't be all that different.

There was an old building of some sort in the woods, he remembered, too big to truly be called a shed, too small to quite earn the name of a barn. It was unused, far as he could tell, only serving to store some long-forgotten gardening tools. The door hadn't looked like anyone had used it in ages when he had been running around in search of distraction, but had opened readily enough. It wasn't very exciting, but it was still weatherproof enough to serve as a shelter, and he doubted Noh-Varr would spend a lot of time getting bored just yet. And if he did, well, Tommy would just have to worry about that later, wouldn't he?

Now he just had to worry about how far he would have to run to find somewhere open to get some medical supplies.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's plans come to fruition, but he seems to have something else in mind. Noh-Varr has a lot to deal with, but he is learning to cope best as he can. Tony, meanwhile, doesn't even want to understand.

"Alright, kids, listen up." Tommy stood at the front of the bus, a microphone in his hand. "Everyone hear me? Good. I'll go over the ground rules one more time before letting you all run wild. How well you follow the rules will decide whether we make more trips in the future, so pay attention."

Kurt could practically feel the nervous energy vibrating through the entire vehicle. He couldn't help but feel excited for the kids as well. This wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence.

"First off, timing. We'll meet up exactly five hours from now to head back. Make sure you eat at some point, or it'll be a long and unpleasant day. If for some reason you want to get back sooner, call one of the teachers and we'll get you back. Does everyone have a cell phone or a friend who can use one? And you've put your number here on my list so we can call if you aren't on time? Good. I'll have the list at the door, make sure the names of everyone in your group are there."

Kurt glanced at Raven, who returned his look with a quirked eyebrow. She was in her blue form today, too, a somewhat unusual occurrence outside the school, but apparently she had felt this was the perfect occasion for such. Her slightly amused expression suggested she shared Kurt's evaluation of the situation. And to think Tommy had doubted whether he'd be able to take charge.

"As far as places go, anywhere with this sticker at the window or door is confirmed mutant-friendly, and is part of our field trip. If you're looking for something specific, we've got a couple of maps with all the places marked down, or you can just wander around. No going off alone, though; anyone under twelve should always be with one of the adults. I think Irene and Raven promised to take you to whatever places you'd like to see, but you can stick to someone else if you'd like. Anyone older than that, keep to groups no smaller than three, and make sure to let your group know if you're going to join someone else. Don't break anything, don't cause a scene, be on your best behavior and we'll be welcome a second time, got it?"

Tommy grinned, now, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, everyone should have the number of at least one teacher on their cell phone; if you don't have one, come get one before you leave. If there's anything urgent, call me or Kurt, we'll be there in a flash. You need to ask something or were wondering if you could join someone else, there's Irene, Raven, Logan, Bobby, and Warren running around as well. At least one of us will also always stay at the coffee shop where we're about to let you loose, so you can always just head back there. Other than that, go have fun, alright?"

Kurt was one of the last to leave the bus as the doors were finally opened, letting the children make their way out first. For all his brave talk, and even after the round he had made with Tommy at all the places on their list, he was still a bit wary of going out like this. It went against everything he'd learned, walking around in the middle of the town without even trying to conceal himself.

He could feel Logan's eyes on himself, could see the concerned frown without even looking, and leapt out. He was supposed to be setting a good example, here.

Tommy was still in action, rushing around between the kids as they separated into smaller groups, probably making sure there was sufficient contact information on all sides. Irene and Raven were gathering the younger children, one with endless patience and the other with familiar exasperation, while Bobby was apparently conspiring with a few teenagers in a way that did not make Kurt think of responsible adult behavior. Warren seemed a bit tense, in a manner rather similar to Kurt himself; for once his wings were not tied down, flexing out to the sides before folding themselves again, still a rather prominent feature.

The bus driver took off after a couple of words with Tommy, appearing rather unconcerned about the whole spectacle. Then, if he was indeed on the Stark payroll, he probably had seen worse. With all the practical issues now handled, Tommy turned to the remaining adults.

"Okay, now, I've got to introduce you to the best coffee in all of Westchester." He made a grandiose gesture towards the coffee shop. "Can't promise to sit around all day, sitting still's not exactly my thing, but I'll treat you all to the first round so I'm sure you'll forgive me if I run off later."

"You sure you should be getting more caffeine?" And yet Logan was already opening the door. "Let's get in, then. Since I'm not allowed to drink, the least I need is coffee."

A couple of other customers gave them curious glances as they walked in, even stares, but Kurt forced himself to ignore them. The owner herself seemed to pay no mind, taking their orders without much of a fuss. Aside from some murmurs and more gazes, though, nobody gave them any trouble as they got their drinks and found a table in the corner where Warren's wings or Kurt's tail wouldn't accidentally bump into anyone.

"You know, this is like some stupid joke." Tommy grinned at them over the rim of his coffee cup. Something caramel with enough sugar to make a tooth fairy cry, as Kurt recalled. He supposed it was the fast metabolism, always requiring more energy. "An angel and a demon walk into a coffee shop."

"That seems quite harsh, my friend." Warren's lips twitched just a bit. "For all his failings, I'm not sure it's quite fair to call poor Logan a demon." Kurt chuckled, unable to help it, and relaxed a bit. For all that there might have been stares, at least he wasn't alone in his predicament.

Whatever he might have said about his inability to stay still, Tommy was still sharing their table almost an hour later, though he had downed approximately twice as many coffee-flavored sugar drinks as the rest of them combined. This was when their attention was drawn to the door of the shop. Raven walked in with a look of fond exasperation, a few of the younger kids following her. Matt was there, as was little Beak, who looked a bit apprehensive but brightened when he spotted them. Beak always cheered up around Warren; Kurt suspected it was the feathers.

With a delighted cry Matt ran over to them, then took off in a hasty explanation, far too fast for Kurt to catch more than a word here or there. Either he was too excited to use his translation device or didn't think it necessary, as his attention was apparently mostly on Tommy. Then another one of the kids got up to the table, setting a gift bag on it before retreating behind Raven, apparently overtaken by shyness. It really should not have amused Kurt so much that anyone would have considered his mother a place of safety.

"The kids heard this was mostly Tommy's doing, so they decided they wanted to thank him," Raven told them as she followed her charges closer, doubtlessly translating the gist of Matt's excited explanation. "So they got him a thank-you gift with their allowance."

"Thanks, guys. You really didn't need to, but thanks," Tommy said, ruffling the closest kid's hair. He then repeated it again, several times faster, for Matt's benefit. The kid beamed at having been remembered. Though then, if anyone was going to remember his difficulties, it would have been Tommy. "Now, let's see what it is…" Tommy opened the bag, lifting something out of there. A stuffed doll, Kurt realized as Tommy's face took on a carefully constructed blank look. And not just any doll.

He'd seen it in the window of the comic book store when they had been doing the confirmations, had noticed Tommy doing his best not to see it. Dark hair, a matching black uniform, flowing red cape. Kurt had to admit it was rather a cuddly form for Wiccan.

"I've got a sister back home," the shy kid explained, big purple eyes looking at Tommy with an earnest look. "And I really miss her when I'm at school, and Matt misses his brother, too. So we thought you miss your brother because he's not here but you are, so we decided to get you a doll to keep you company."

"Do you like it?" Beak seemed fretful, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"I… yeah. Yeah, thanks, guys, this is great." Tommy gave the kids a smile, and if Kurt hadn't been paying such close attention he might not have even noticed the tension behind it. "You know, I should drop back by the school to get this safe, maybe make sure the rest of the adults aren't getting up to anything naughty while everyone is away, hmm? Wouldn't want anyone to spill coffee on my poor baby brother, after all."

The kids easily agreed, making way so Tommy could get up from his seat, clutching onto the doll a bit more tightly than strictly necessary. Kurt sought his mother's eyes over the heads of the children, catching a grim look there. Oh, she had known exactly what she was doing, not stopping the kids from their decision. Or perhaps even encouraging it, knowing her meddling ways.

It wasn't going to be a miracle cure, Kurt knew that much; whatever was bothering Tommy wasn't going to just disappear all of a sudden because of one toy. Even so, or perhaps because of that, it didn't seem like such a bad idea at all.

Maybe a little Wiccan to hug was exactly what Tommy needed right now.

*

There was a toy sitting next to Noh-Varr.

It had to be a toy, from what furtive glances he had managed to steal without alerting the person who moved within the same space. It was not big enough to be an appropriate target, nor intricate enough to earn the name of a decoration. The simple shape of a person, clad in black and red, devised out of fabric and stuffed to give it shape.

He wondered what it was doing there, sitting by his bedside like some strange little guardian. He had certainly never seen it before. Though then, it wasn't like his surroundings were very familiar to him, either. The bed he lay in appeared to be constructed of blankets and pillows, and the wall he could feel to one side was rough wood. Whatever had happened to him, he had been taken out of the spaceship.

It frightened him somewhat, the fact that he couldn't remember how he had ended up there. That, and the images of what he did remember were not exactly reassuring.

There had been some kind of an anomaly, throwing them off their intended course, and then they had been struck rather violently, losing all control of their rapid descent toward the surface of an unknown planet. He remembered the frantic instructions, everyone rushing to their stations in a vain attempt to right the ship. They had only managed to slow their speed somewhat, the shielding badly damaged in the re-entry, most of their systems lost to malfunction and damage. No readings, no flight control, not even emergency calls for back-up, as though any would arrive in this strange world they couldn't identify. It was nowhere on the Empire's databases, and that, more than anything, had frightened him. They were supposed to always know everything.

Noh-Varr had been doing his best, not that there was much help he could provide in a crisis situation on his very first mission. As the surface got closer, though, their speed still slowing down but controls still offline, his commander had told him and a slightly older ensign to go check the airlock. Someone had to make sure it was secure, he had been told, according to the computer's calculations they were heading towards water and that was hardly something they wanted rushing in. He had obeyed, of course he had obeyed, it had been an order from a superior officer after all.

He remembered arriving at the airlock, finding it holding firm and secure despite all the damage. He had been moving half on the wall by that point, their descent steep, but that had never been a problem for him. The older ensign had lingered behind, letting him check the outer door.

He remembered the hissing sound of a door closing behind him, the howling wind hitting him like a wall of noise as another door started to open. He remembered turning and shouting, quick as a thought but still not enough, remembered hitting the closed door as he shouted himself hoarse.

The ship had trembled, not much, but enough to make him lose his ever-sure footing. He had fallen, and he had hit the wind, and he remembered nothing beyond that.

He didn't actually realize the memories alone had been enough to draw a pained gasp from him until there was movement next to him all of a sudden, startling in its speed. Judging by the sounds his companion had been on the other side of the enclosed space just then, far enough he had almost risked another glance for more information, yet suddenly he was right here by Noh-Varr's side. A careful hand brushed against his shoulder, the touch very gentle.

Well. He would win nothing by hiding any further. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

There was a young man kneeling beside his makeshift bed, a small frown on his face. A man who, Noh-Varr realized with a startle, looked remarkably like him. His eyes had a silvery tone instead of Noh-Varr's own green, and his features were somewhat finer, but his hair was the same shade of platinum white and his skin tone an almost exact match. And the nervous manner in which his fingers twitched, far too quick to be ordinary —

"Are you Kree?" Noh-Varr asked, or at least tried to ask. Instead, what came out was a hoarse croak that somewhat resembled "Kree", the rest of the question forgotten in the depths of his throat. His companion frowned, then vanished momentarily, only to return the next second with a glass of what looked like water. He set it to Noh-Varr's lips, who was too parched to worry about possible poisons or even inedible substances. However, the glass was taken away before he could drink more than a few sips.

"Kree," the man said, pointing at Noh, who managed a small nod. The man frowned, then, and pointed at himself. "Human." The word was not one Noh recognized, and certainly not one that belonged in the Kree language. Well. It had been stupid to get his hopes up, anyway. "Water," the man added another word, lifting the glass again. Well. That would be a good word to learn, then. 

"Wa-ter," he tried, frowning, then tasted the word a couple of times more. His efforts were rewarded as the man nodded, then gave him some more to drink.

Okay. The environment was strange to be sure, but not openly hostile. At least this man wasn't. There was still a frown on his face, but it didn't seem angry. It was all he could hope for, in any case. Even shifting made him wince in pain; he was in no condition to fight. Sure, he could have always just closed the pain out, but that would have done nothing to cure the weakness and injuries the pain no doubt signified. No, it was better to wait and see whether he was actually under any serious threat.

This time he got to drink more, which was a welcome relief. Feeling somewhat emboldened, he then looked at the man in front of him. Lifting his hand, he suppressed a wince to point at himself. "Kree," he repeated again. "Noh-Varr."

There was a flicker of something in the man's eyes he couldn't read, but he got a small nod in response. "Human," came the repeated answer. "Tommy. Tommy Stark." Well. That at least sounded like a name, not that he could have really told the difference. It gave him hope he was being understood.

Now, how to advance their stupid guessing game. "Water water?" As he got a frown, he motioned towards his mouth. Surely that would get his message across, even though he had no idea of the appropriate word to use.

That got a more understanding look. "Food," he was corrected, and his companion moved aside for a moment. Then he returned, carrying a bar of some brown substance that he offered to Noh. He took it with slight wariness and took a small bite.

The substance, whatever it was, was sweet in his mouth, and while it failed to fill him it did give him some energy. Enough so that he made to sit up, only to be stopped by a firm hand on his chest.

"No." Well, the tone made that word clear enough. There was another hand, then, one much more gentle, tracing along his arm. It had been bandaged, he now realized, and even the light touch shot pain through his nerves. He tried not to wince, but he must not have entirely managed, as the hand was instantly away, still hovering nearby.

There was a moment of silence, and then Tommy moved. This time, Noh-Varr made sure to watch him closely, and there was no doubt about it; the man was moving faster than most Kree could have ever hoped to, and he didn't seem to be making much of an effort to do so. Wasn't that… something. Interesting, perhaps, or concerning.

He was sure Tommy left the small building they were in, though his only indication of such was the movement of the door. For a moment he wondered if he had been abandoned, not that it would have made much sense. However, after a few moments had passed, his companion returned, with what appeared to be paper and what Noh had to assume were writing implements. Sitting next to him, Tommy drew something, then showed it to him.

Noh-Varr stared. It was no great work of art, but the simple scribbles painted a clear enough picture. There was the ship, hurtling from the sky, down toward what he assumed was some sort of a water depository, colored blue as it was. There was also a small figure lying on the edge of the blue. Pointing at this, Tommy said, "Noh-Varr." Then, as he could only nod dumbly, there were some more scribbles. A small house-like structure, and another small figure he had to assume was Tommy, and arrows apparently depicting his relocation to this rough shelter. So he had been rescued from the waterside, then, presumably by this man.

He drew a deep breath. This was not something he wanted to ask, not something he had ever wanted to ask, but at this point, he had no choice. Drawing a deep breath, he lifted his hand, slowly enough that it did not draw any reproach from his companion. Pointing at the crude representation of the ship, he asked, "Kree?" And he really needed to learn more of the language. This was simply unacceptable.

Tommy's expression fell, and he shook his head rapidly. A few more lines turned into what he assumed was the ship under water. There were some more gestures, some of which he wasn't sure he understood, but the general message was clear. The ship was underwater, and Noh-Varr was the only person Tommy had found in the proximity.

He closed his eyes briefly. If the ship had indeed crashed in the water, with all the damage it had already taken, the pressure must have broken in almost immediately. Either the rest of the crew had been drowned under the weight of water rushing in, or smaller trickles would have gotten into the less secured electronics, ruining the doors and shocking those too near.

The doors were designed to stay closed if there was a malfunction, especially in the case of pressure differences. It was a space ship, after all. Of course, it might have been possible for some of the others to escape, but Tommy at least had found none. None but Noh-Varr, the one who had been forced into leaving.

They had saved him. Moments before the crash, they had forced him out, so that at least the youngest might survive, to continue the mission in their stead. Except he was injured and weak and knew nothing of this place. It hadn't even been part of their mission, none of this had, but now he was stranded and alone and he might have very well been all that remained of the crew.

"Noh-Varr?" The sound of his name made his eyes fly open again. Tommy was watching him with a frown. As he turned his eyes toward the man, though, Tommy pointed at the ship, saying a couple of unfamiliar words. As Noh-Varr didn't respond, he tried again. "Kree?" One finger, two, three. Counting? That had to be it.

Noh-Varr thought back. It hadn't been a big crew, certainly nothing that would have required much mental effort to count, but at the moment, everything seemed to take effort. Nine. There had been ten of them, so besides him, there would have been nine. Finally, he indicated the number with his fingers. Nine, point at the ship, one, point at him. Then, ten altogether.

Why was he even doing this? For all he knew, he was giving information to the enemy. Except the man was clearly concerned for him, and taking care of him, and he didn't appear to be a prisoner of anything but his own battered body. His superiors would have disapproved, he was sure, but then, they weren't here, were they? None of them were here, and none of them would be coming for him, he had been alone ever since that door shut behind him.

He did not cry, it would have been ridiculous to show such weakness, and in any case Tommy had the decency to look away so clearly there were no witnesses to any of it.

*

Honestly, for all the time he had spent wondering how to best contact Strange, Tony shouldn't have been too surprised to run into the man by chance.

At least it was unintentional on his part, which he supposed was the best he could hope for. Here he was, strolling down the street with no intentions whatsoever of finding anyone, concerned with nothing but getting himself a nice, overpriced cup of coffee, when the man was suddenly there, walking beside him. He didn't even realize it at first, with Strange actually looking almost normal for once in a regular suit, which just made Tony more surprised as he finally looked up from his phone and saw Dr. Strange striding right alongside him.

"Jesus, warn a guy." No, he most definitely hadn't jumped. "Where'd you come from?"

"From behind you, I believe." And why did he look so very smug? What, was it a personal triumph now to startle people? "Do not fret, no magic was involved. I was merely walking down the street, as you do, when I saw a familiar face."

"As you do." Tony stuck his phone into his pocket, then adjusted his sunglasses. What was it with overpowered people tracking him down while he was out and about? "Any particular reason you decided to join me?"

"Not particularly, no. But I am under the impression you would have something to say to me."

He wasn't going to ask how the man knew. He wasn't. "Ah, right. See, we were wondering if you'd like to be involved in a wedding gift for Billy and Teddy. I mean, seeing how you've more or less declared yourself his mentor."

"That depends." Strange raised his eyebrows. "What is it that you would have me do?"

"Well, it's about the two gifts we're putting together, the team and assorted hangers-on, that is." Tony ran a hand over his hair. "It has been suggested both would benefit from some additional magic. The thing is, I'm pretty sure it could be done, from what I've seen of Billy, but I've no idea whether it could be made permanent."

"That would depend on what you need done." Damn. Weren't magicians supposed to know things? That was it, Strange was just being difficult on purpose.

"Magical doors." As Strange just continued to look at him in a quizzical fashion, Tony sighed. "That is, doors that lead somewhere else than the space behind the wall. It's not a must or anything, but it would make things easier in the long run, and we figured if anyone knew how to do it, it'd be you."

"I see." Strange gave a slow nod. "Well. You are right in that creating a temporary one would take little effort. A permanent arrangement would be more complicated a matter, and would require more than one caster to ensure stability."

"Well, I'm pretty confident Wanda will agree to help if need be." Hey, wow, it wasn't an instant no. How about that. "But you could do it?"

"Certainly. I would of course have to gain access to both sides to anchor the door properly, but if I have that and a helping hand, it should be simple enough a matter. Perhaps a third one for a circle, but I'm sure that can be arranged. Your friend Thor, perhaps; at least with him I won't have to fear any arbitrary skepticism raring its head."

"Great." And yeah, that was kind of a relief. Of course things would have worked either way, but this would make it so much easier for everyone. "We need two, at least, if it can be done. Three if it's not too much of a problem, it'd tie things together nicely." No, he was not going to freak out about the idea of having magic involved, he wasn't. It was for Billy, anyway.

"Oh, that won't be a problem at all. Really, there is only one more thing I must insist upon."

"Oh?" It couldn't be that bad, could it? Hopefully not. The guy was Billy's teacher, and if it was indeed as simple as he had said it would be, surely he wouldn't be making any outrageous demands.

Strange's lips curled into a small smirk. "I merely wish that my name will be included in any cards that accompany the reveal of the gifts."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning to pretend I suddenly gained magical abilities or anything. I'm pretty sure even trying to say that would cause any nearby enchantments to collapse out of the sheer impossibility."

"I'm glad you have embraced your limitations, at least." Was that snark? He was supposed to be the one dishing out snark. This just wouldn't do, really it wouldn't. "Very well. Do send me word when I am required. I believe at least one of these enchantments will have to wait until they have left for their honeymoon, if I am correct in my guess."

"Oh?" Tony frowned. "And exactly what would you base that guess on?" Not that he was incorrect, they couldn't very well spoil the surprise, but still. He had thought they'd kept everything pretty hush-hush outside the family, at least.

"Oh, just little things. Such as Billy mentioning Pepper insisted they should have a registry of household items, which would indicate certain kinds of plans." Strange paused, and then the smirk was back. "Said registry is quite interesting, by the way. I do believe you might want to take a closer look at it."

"And what's so special about it?" He actually hadn't given it a look, hadn't seen the point. Pepper was responsible for making sure it existed, and, well, he was busy organizing one gift and giving input in the other. He really didn't think he was expected to buy a toaster on top of that.

"I'm sure you will see what I mean." Strange gave him a nod. "And I believe this is where we shall part."

"Huh?" Tony blinked, then glanced around. They had arrived in front of his favorite coffee shop. As he looked back, mostly to question just how the man knew what he wanted, anyway, there was nobody there.

No magic, his ass. The guy obviously enjoyed making him jump.

At least he could now text Pepper and tell her that at least one thing was under control.

*

"So, uh. Have we been taken over by aliens in paper shape?"

Billy and Teddy looked up as Steve spoke at the doorway to the kitchen. The table in front of them, big enough to sit the whole team and significant others if need be, was half covered in pamphlets, print-outs and hand-written notes.

"Ah, sorry." Billy rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "We're just doing a look on everything we've got planned and prepared. Didn't expect it to take up quite so much space.

"We can clear out if you need the table," Teddy offered, already starting to gather some of the papers close by into an open folder. "We seriously thought we'd be done before anyone else came by."

"No, don't mind me, I just finished in the gym and came by to grab something to drink." He indicated his shower-fresh hair and walked to the fridge. "So, did you get the venue pinned down? I'd imagine that'd be a big step."

Billy nodded. "We called Professor X, and he said he'd be delighted for us to have the wedding there." He indicated a few photographs all gathered in one pile on the corner of the table. "He even sent over some photographs of the school grounds in the summer so it'll be easier to plan decorations and layout and such, since we're hoping to have the ceremony and the reception mostly outdoors."

"That sounds great." Steve took a coke from the fridge and opened it. "I mean, I've only been there once or twice, but the grounds looked rather beautiful. And you'll have plenty of room there, too."

"That's exactly what we were thinking, too." Billy gathered the photos into a slightly neater stack. "Charles even said there's more than enough room to house any guests who don't want to make their way home too late at night. And since the next day is the 4th, we were thinking of having a big barbecue for everyone sticking around."

"For the reception, we're just going to have a big buffet so everyone can pick what they like," Teddy added. "Charles recommended a mutant-run catering company he's used for school parties before, and they agreed to take our order, though it's a lot bigger than anything they've handled before. It's less formal than a plated dinner, and more in line with the kind of party we want."

Steve nodded, leaning against the kitchen counter and sipping at his drink. "And drinks? Remember there will be a lot of children around." Never mind that the happy couple themselves was still under 21. Not that he could see what had so fundamentally changed in the human nature in the intervening years that it had necessitated the constant raising of drinking age.

"For anything alcoholic, we'll have an open bar with licensed bartenders, so minors shouldn't be an issue." Billy gave him a small smirk. "And yes, Tony and Bruce promised to be around to hand us drinks if we wish to have some ourselves so it's all nice and legal."

"Sounds like a good approach." Steve couldn't help a small grin, hiding it behind his can of coke. "Wouldn't want to forget the law with so many government officials at hand."

"Indeed. This way, we only have to worry about Johnny Storm getting drunk off his ass and setting the dessert table on fire." Teddy gave a dramatic sigh. "Nobody likes melted ice cream."

"Clearly our main concern in such a situation." Steve snorted. "Though I suppose it'd still be better if that happens because of Johnny instead of, say, Doctor Doom."

"Oh, that won't happen." Billy shook his head. "Nobody but us and the school staff will know where it's going to be held until the invitations go out, and even then we won't give exact directions. Instead, we'll have the guests come to the Tower, and have a portal from here over to Westchester. Stephen promised to help me set that up, as well as to get the proper wards in place in case someone does manage to find the place despite the lack of any visible traffic."

"You know, I think I'm actually getting used to this whole magic business." Steve shook his head. "When you said that, my first thought actually wasn't, 'uhh, magic,' but rather, 'it's still kind of strange that my stepson calls one of the most powerful sorcerers on the planet by his first name.'" He paused. "That's progress, right?"

"Oh, definitely." Teddy chuckled. "And don't worry too much about that second part. I still have moments sometimes where I have to stop and actually think about the fact that Iron Man is going to be my father-in-law. Which is absolutely ridiculous for me to freak out over, considering I'm legally Bruce Banner's son."

"Considering I still sometimes wake up and get all surprised about being an Avenger, I wouldn't hold my breath on that going away." Billy glanced at Steve. "Oh, and speaking of security, if there's anyone you'd like to have added to the guest list, the earlier you tell us, the better. We've got most of it sorted out, but we'll need to have everyone checked out by SHIELD before the invitations go out."

"Which would probably be easier if we hadn't pinched most of Fury's list of vigilante heroes operating in the States for the guest list, but then they already have files on most of those people." Teddy shrugged. "I'd feel a bit guilty about prying, but then it's not like we're looking up anything personal, just asking SHIELD analysts whether they're safe to invite. Apparently SHIELD is quite happy to cooperate on this because it's much easier than dealing with any fallout from possible terrorists or villains sneaking in."

"Responsible as ever." Steve was going to continue, to point out the boys should absolutely not worry about such things on their actual wedding day and the rest of the team would handle any and all threats trying to get in their way, but he was interrupted by Tony rushing into the kitchen, looking something between furious and aghast.

"What," demanded Tony, waving his tablet in the air, "is this?"

"Hm?" Teddy peered closer at the tablet, not visibly affected by Tony's theatrics. Clearly he had been living in the Tower too long, or perhaps just long enough, if he wasn't fazed at all by a huffing and puffing volatile genius. "If I had to guess, I would say it's our wedding registry page."

"Exactly!" Tony shook the tablet in an admonishing gesture. "And what exactly is the meaning of this?" He pointed at the screen, not making any clarifications.

"Uh, it's a wedding registry?" Billy blinked, wearing an innocent expression that most likely meant he was scheming something. Steve wasn't sure if he should have been endeared or exasperated at some of the tendencies the twins had in common with their supposed father. "You know, suggestions for wedding presents?"

"Oh, I know that. What I want to know is why you've put this kind of things on here!"

Steve frowned. This was somewhat more of a freakout than Tony was likely to have simply from the realization that yes, one of his sons was actually getting married and it was actually happening. "Tony. What has you so out of sorts now?"

"They're registered for sets of things, Steve!" Tony whirled towards him, pointing an accusing finger at the boys. "Just about anything that you need more than one in a household, like a coffee maker, they're asking for sets!"

"And?" Steve frowned, failing to see the cause for panic. "Isn't it nice to have things match?"

"Sure it is. Except they're not just asking for pairs of things." Seeing Steve's frown deepen, Tony lifted his hand. "No, I know, that's nothing strange. Of course they'll need more than two plates or two forks or whatever, that's normal. At least that's what I thought until I came across this." He pointed at one entry in particular.

Steve leaned closer to look. "A towel set? What's so terrible about that?"

"Oh, nothing at all. Nothing, except this is a family set. Including two bath towels in kid size. And no, before you ask, the little green one never uses towels." He spun on his heel, again pointing at the boys. "Explanations, if you would."

Billy shrugged, still the very picture of innocence. "It's bad manners to ask for things we aren't going to personally use, and bad luck in general to ask for kid things before there's a kid?"

"So there isn't a kid hiding under your bed? Because I was kind of wondering how that would go over with Pepper." Tony set the hand not still holding the tablet on his hip. "So is there one on the way?" He gave a sudden gasp. "That's it, isn't it? One of you is pregnant, that's got to be it. God, and all this time I was hounding Tommy about being careful! How did that even — no, you know what, don't tell me. I seriously don't want to know."

"Tony, calm down." Steve carefully plucked the tablet from Tony's hands and set it on the table before he could accidentally toss it aside in his excitement. "Boys. Is Tony just imagining things because of too much coffee and too little sleep, or is there something to his little theory of surprise children?"

"It's not entirely coincidental that we did not register for many sets for two, no." There was a small smile on Teddy's face, though Steve couldn't entirely tell if it was just amusement at Tony's antics.

"Right. And in what kind of a timeframe are you expecting to expand your family beyond the couple stage?"

Teddy and Billy glanced at each other. "Uh. Within the next five years?" Billy shrugged. "I mean, we know we want kids, so it seems silly to postpone it too far, but we still haven't even decided how to go about it."

"How?" Steve echoed. "You mean, like adoption or surrogacy?"

"Ah. Not… exactly?" Teddy's smile turned into a slightly embarrassed look as he rubbed the back of his neck. "More like, ah, adoption or biological."

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but Teddy's kind of a shapeshifter." Billy was remarkably calm about the matter, continuing to gather up the various papers they had spread over the table. "So if we do decide we want biological kids, it's not entirely impossible."

Steve blinked, staring at Teddy. "You can actually change your gender?"

"Sex, to be precise. I'm not entirely sure how the Skrull actually handle gender stuff, though from limited evidence I'm inclined to assume they're not too hung up on details like that. Me, I definitely think of myself as male, but I know I'm capable of changing the physical side of things. And, yes, I would be willing to do that for a while in order to have a child."

"No. I'm not ready for this conversation." Tony lifted both his hands as though to block any words coming his way. "I'm not hearing any of this. None of this is happening. I need at least ten years before I'm ready to be grandfather, so the two of you had better keep it in your pants until then."

"And yet you never seem to have any trouble making old man jokes about me." Steve patted his shoulder. "Come on, I think you're long overdue for a nap. And after that, a meal that doesn't consist solely of coffee." Starting to lead Tony out of the kitchen, he glanced at the boys over his shoulder. "You two just go ahead and ignore him. You're both adults, the only rule regarding kid-making is that we'd like to be warned before any show up in the house."

There was the slightest of flushes on Billy's face, but he grinned anyway. "Oh, I don't know. Hiding it until the last possible minute would totally be worth the look on Tony's face."

It was a good thing they actually were adults, or Steve would have had to scold Tony for saying such foul words in front of his sons.

*

Sometimes Tommy wondered if he should have been impressed by the speed at which Noh-Varr was adjusting.

Of course, he didn't exactly have a good frame of reference, even aside from the complications of his own rather twisted sense of time. Sure, it seemed the injuries were healing remarkably well, but then he was surrounded by supersoldiers and shapeshifters and other forms of miracles, so it wasn't like he had an actual idea of how fast such injuries were supposed to take. There was the language, too, which Noh was learning at a rather impressive rate, but then it wasn't like Tommy had much knowledge about learning new languages as an adult. He was definitely picking up some rudimentary Kree, himself, and he figured anyone would have learned fast if it was their only way of getting what they needed.

It was the main way he entertained Noh-Varr, anyway, when he was there. He'd brought a music player and some portable games for when Tommy had to be elsewhere, but when he did come to the shed, his alien guest all but insisted on more lessons in the matters of English and Earth. It had been rather choppy at first, with both of them only knowing a couple of words the other would understand, but with the aid of his cell phone, picture books, and some obviously brilliant drawings, they had gotten through the basics very fast. He'd even managed to introduce his family to Noh-Varr, with pictures on his phone and simple drawings to make some sense of the mess of a family tree, mostly because Noh had asked whether there were any other Kree around. For all that he hadn't been able to claim any as such, he was fairly sure he had managed to get Noh to understand that he was sort of indirectly related to a half-Kree.

Tommy had been very careful to avoid any possible references to the Skrull. That was a topic to be approached with caution, and not until they were entirely certain of each other's status as non-enemies. Not that he knew if this particular Noh-Varr's race was at war with the Skrull, but it seemed like a good idea not to test that assumption just yet.

God, this alternate worlds thing was going to do his head in one of these days.

Regardless of whether it was happening faster than usual or not, though, the fact was that Noh-Varr was recovering from his ordeal. He managed to move around the shed by himself, now, and while he still tired easily it was clear he would be on the way to recovery soon enough. Tommy was happy about this, of course he was, he'd been doing his best to get the guy to recover after all. However, all this also meant he was drawing closer to the conversation he really, really did not want to have.

Oh, well. He supposed there was no point in beating around the bush much longer.

"I want to show you something." He'd waited until they were done eating, adding the empty pizza boxes to the pile of old ones. He'd have to take them out soon, he mused at the back of his mind, most of his attention on Noh-Varr. "Outside."

"Oh?" Noh-Varr frowned, though Tommy wasn't entirely sure whether it was in effort to understand his words or merely wondering what it was he had to show. "Show me what?"

"An important thing." He still wasn't entirely sure just how much of what he said Noh-Varr understood and how much he was merely picking up on his body language and tone of voice. Even so, he figured that the more he spoke, the faster Noh-Varr would learn, so he made a point of doing so even when he could have conveyed his message with gestures alone. Not that he'd ever had a problem with speaking a lot.

Noh-Varr frowned, still, but as Tommy stood up and offered him a hand, the Kree grasped it and pulled himself up. The momentary sway as he got up to his feet was brief enough that Tommy doubted anyone but he would have even seen it. That was a good sign, surely. Not too long ago he hadn't been able to stand up on his own without dropping down right away.

"I've been going to the lake," he explained as he led them out of the shed, again making a point of speaking even though he had no idea whether he was understood. "In the water. There's this device I have, my father made it, it gives me air. And I was looking for — well. Looking for Kree."

As he glanced at Noh-Varr, his guest's eyes widened a fraction, but other than that he showed no reaction. Tommy kind of hoped it was just his usual stoic attitude and not a sign that Tommy was babbling in vain.

As they rounded the last corner, Noh-Varr came to a halt at his side. Not that Tommy could blame him. The sight still made his own stomach turn, and he was the one responsible for it.

He'd spent a lot of time here earlier, at times when Noh-Varr was asleep, still too weak from his injuries to stay up too long. A lot of time for him, of course, but also from the perspective of someone with a more traditional view of the world. Digging a grave in the forest was much harder than Hollywood would have had him believe, and multiplying the work by nine meant not even his speed could make short work of it.

"Your crew." He didn't dare speak too loud. Not because it would have seemed disrespectful, but rather because he felt slightly uncomfortable. This shouldn't have been a moment shared, yet here he was, by what he supposed was as close to necessity as there could be. "I found them all and brought them here." It hadn't been a pleasant task, but he couldn't have left them in the lake to bloat and turn into fish food. Not when he had another option.

Noh-Varr took a few steps forward, then collapsed to his knees. He stared at the unassuming mounds of earth, his face blank in a rather frightening manner. Tommy came up to his side and tried to stay calm.

"I didn't know what you'd do, but I did my best. I — I have pictures, if you want to put their names here, I can make something with their names on it, you just need to tell me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I just — I didn't know how, and —" He was babbling now, he knew as much, but he couldn't help himself. He sucked at this kind of thing, always had. He should have found some way to comfort Noh-Varr, to show his support, but instead all he could do was talk and talk in a vain attempt to cover his own anxiety.

He'd seen dead people before, for all that he hadn't been responsible for their fate. He'd never had to bury them, though.

Noh-Varr said something, he realized, and he fell silent. It didn't sound like the words were directed at him, though beyond that he had little idea of whether the Kree was addressing his dead companions or some higher power. The words were quiet but melodious, almost like a song, and while he couldn't understand them he knew enough to be quiet.

After a moment Noh-Varr fell silent, his hands clenched into fists at his knees. Then, however, he heaved a deep sigh, tension bleeding away from him in what had to be a deliberate gesture. At the sound of his name, Tommy looked down, finding Noh-Varr looking at him.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"You can… make names?" Noh-Varr spoke hesitantly, as though testing each word for its proper use before letting it fall from his tongue. "Of who they were?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I can." He nodded and swallowed. "If you show me how to write them." Tombstones were a bit beyond his skill set, but he could do some metal work easily enough. Small plaques, perhaps, one for each name, to mark their resting places. Not that he particularly looked forward to having Noh-Varr identify the occupant of each grave from the pictures he had taken.

Noh-Varr nodded and then stood up with some effort, ignoring Tommy's offered hand. He looked at the row of graves for another moment, then made what Tommy presumed to be a military salute. He said something again, in Kree, and all Tommy truly caught of it was Noh-Varr's name, but then the words clearly weren't meant for him anyway.

As Noh-Varr turned to go, though, he spoke to Tommy again, and this time he understood even though Noh-Varr still seemed too shaken to turn to English just yet.

He had learned the word for "thank you" very quickly, after all.

*

Next time the kids lost something, they could damn well look for it themselves.

At least, this was what Logan grumbled to himself as he stalked around the grounds, trying to spot the last tennis ball. You'd have thought lime green would be easy to see against the ground, but the little buggers could hide themselves exceptionally well. The last one he'd found had somehow managed to end up in the middle of a rose bush, earning him more than a few scratches as he reached for it. The scratches had already healed, of course, but that didn't mean he had particularly enjoyed the encounter.

It was ridiculous, really. The kids would play all day long, not caring about things they lost, and then when it was time to get inside they were suddenly missing this or that. And then it was all please and could you, because apparently it was absolutely essential for the stupid balls to be found before it got dark, except the kids couldn't do it because they had to hurry to bed. Logan wondered just what kind of a monster prowled the grounds at night, eating forgotten sports equipment, and why he was supposed to care.

Summer couldn't come soon enough, he decided, rolling his shoulders as he walked further along. Soon as the kids had proved their delightful ignorance in the form of finals, he was going to drive off and nobody was going to stop him, damn it. Kurt could come along if he was fast enough, but Logan damn well wasn't going to wait for him any longer than necessary.

Of course, Kurt would then probably insist that they get right back for the wedding, sap that he was. Well, in that case he could damn well keep track of the time himself. Logan wasn't going to bother himself with anything but their next destination.

There was that one orphanage Charles talked about visiting, wasn't there, to check on the background of one of the kids. They could probably make it there and back between finals and the wedding.

Logan wasn't really one for denial, whatever Kurt might have claimed. Shit like that could only get you in trouble. If you couldn't admit that something was important, you wouldn't know to protect it before it was too late, and he had lost enough as it was.

Well. He was fairly sure he had lost a lot. He couldn't remember most of it, of course, but then that simply proved his point. He had a good thing going here, with people and a place he could call his, and if keeping them safe satisfied some part of him, well, he wasn't stupid enough to mess with that just to prove a point.

Something moved at the edge of his vision, and he froze. Turning to look, he saw someone moving among the trees right at the edge of the woods.

That was weird. Nobody was supposed to be out there at this point.

He took a halting step, then another, lifting his nose into the air. The wind was in the right direction, bringing a familiar scent. Coffee, a hint of electricity he did his best to ignore, and something else. Tommy.

He relaxed a bit, his senses proved right as the figure flitted through the trees faster than anyone else could have, a hint of silver hair flashing between the shadows. Well, that wasn't a problem, then. The kid wasn't a student, so he didn't have an actual curfew, and Logan certainly wasn't going to begrudge him the chance to escape the place for a little while. God knew he needed the occasional break, himself.

Too bad he hadn't shouted out in time. The kid probably could have found that blasted tennis ball for him in no time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Erik finally settles down for a talk with Charles, things are supposed to take a turn for the better. Instead, things take a disastrous turn as the Institute is under attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter all dialogue in Kree is in _italics_ , because there's a lot of switching around and I didn't want it to get too confusing.

The tap of Erik's fingertips against the tabletop seemed to echo around the room.

It wasn't that he was impatient. He had been waiting for this for a long time, he could handle another hour or two if need be. However, the emptiness of his office seemed to make time slow to a crawl, as though even seconds hesitated to move too fast along the fine carpet for fear of ruining it. Not that he could blame them; even Erik himself had paused in the doorway the first time he came here, wondering if he truly should go any further. He could still catch the faint smell of paint and new furniture if he tried.

Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised. Tony Stark never did anything by halves.

For now the office, and those directly connected to it, saw very little use. He did come by more days than not, but for now there was little to accomplish here. What little he could do at this point consisted mainly of talking with various people, and people who had their own spaces at that. The main reason he even bothered to come to the Tower was because it gave him a place to think uninterrupted.

There would be more, though. More people, more action, more accomplishments. He'd allowed himself to be dragged along on this mad venture; he was going to see it to the end even if Stark's enthusiasm died halfway through. He owed his family that much, owed them more of a legacy than the rage of a man dangerously out of control, lashing out at friend and foe alike for getting in his way.

Even if he still wasn't any better of a man, he could at least pretend.

'Erik?' The touch of Charles's mind was careful, tentative, and that alone made him grimace more than any more forceful attack might have. Charles had never been like this, not even when he had made his first ventures into Erik's mind. Never so worried of getting thrown out, of encountering a block too firm and painful for him to breach.

Erik knew all too well who had taught him to be so hesitant.

'Charles.' Erik closed his eyes, focused on calming himself down. 'You are here, then?'

'I am. As are Logan and Raven. They insisted on coming along for my safety.'

Erik snorted despite himself. 'And you're sure it's not just a convoluted scheme to get close enough to get rid of me?'

'Worry not. I made it quite clear there is to be no violence.' Which probably had involved some mentions of how deeply disappointed Charles would be were his instructions to be ignored. It might have amused Erik, except he knew just how deeply that disappointment had cut, once.

'Take the elevator closest to the corner to the top floor. I'll authorize you from here.' He could have gone downstairs to receive them, of course, but at the moment Stark's little pet project was still supposed to be a secret, and the less his face was seen down in the lobby, the better. At least that was the reason Erik gave himself as he stood up from his seat, walking out of the office to the elevator doors.

The elevator serving the top few floors here was somewhat less picky than its counterpart in the Stark Tower, had to be for it to serve any proper practical purpose. It wasn't controlled by JARVIS, nor did it require its occupants to match some pre-made database. Oh, it still needed authorization from one of a few select people to reach the top floors if any of the occupants weren't preapproved, but that could be done remotely, without any of them being actually present in the elevator.

Of course, that didn't delay the inevitable meeting by more than a couple of minutes at best, but at the moment Erik was pathetically grateful for even that little.

The request for approval came just as he reached the elevator doors, the image of Charles's little party inside the elevator appearing on a screen. Erik keyed in his personal authorization code, then stepped back to wait for the elevator's arrival.

Of course he wasn't nervous. That would have been ridiculous. Charles's little pet dogs might growl and gnash, but they would not attempt to harm him with Charles there, and in any case he could defend himself if it came down to that. Not that it would; the worst potential outcome of today would be Charles refusing to cooperate. That in itself would hardly be much of a crisis, and would simply require him to look into other ways of accomplishing his goals. Indeed. The worst that could happen would be for Charles to refuse and turn away, and honestly, Erik would hardly blame him if it came down to that. It wasn't like Erik had given him reasons to trust himself, even taking into account that he was technically working for Stark.

No, he had no reason to be nervous. Too bad that simply knowing that did very little to ease the dread nestled deep within his chest.

Of course, he wouldn't let any of that show. When Charles emerged from the elevator, closely flanked by two people who did not appear very friendly, Erik greeted them with his best calm and unaffected expression, lifting one eyebrow as Logan glared at him.

"I suppose I should feel flattered that I warrant such fearsome bodyguards."

"They are here for their own peace of mind, not mine." Charles offered Erik a faint smile. "Unlike them, I do not believe this is some strange scheme on your part to attack me."

"Oh, please. I'm not yet so tired of being relatively free to live my life that I would throw that away simply for a chance at bringing back old grudges. I am under no illusions regarding SHIELD's tolerance of my continued freedom. If I were to harm you, or act in any way unlike an honest, upstanding citizen, I would find myself a wanted fugitive faster than even Pietro could hunt me down." He paused, then, unable to resist one last sting. "Besides, if I wished to kill you, do you truly think you would have made the elevator ride alive?"

Logan's eyes widened a fraction before he growled. "If you're threatening us —"

"Please, Logan." Charles sighed, lifting a hand to halt his little guard dog. "If Erik had any evil intent, I would have sensed it before we even got into the elevator."

"Indeed. I notice you've given up your little fashion statement." Raven quirted an eyebrow, her image of generic blonde beauty melting away to reveal the shades of red and blue underneath. "Did you misplace your metal bucket, or is there another reason?"

"Please, Raven. I have turned a new leaf in life, and it is not one of combat and conquest. My helmet would only give me some benefit if I had reason to fear attack by hostile telepaths. Why would I ever have such a fear here in my own office?" His lips twitched. "After all, we have a common goal now, do we not, Charles?"

"As we once used to." There was wistfulness in Charles's tone that didn't really sit well with Erik, but his expression was neutral enough. "Though I have to say I'm fascinated by your new direction."

"I'm afraid Stark is the one mainly responsible for it, as you should know, so do not give me too much credit. I have been given rather free hands regarding the practical applications, but the general direction has been decided for me." Erik turned, motioning for them to follow. It was something of a calculated gesture, showing them that he did not fear to turn his back toward them.

He had never claimed not to be manipulative.

"Even so. Nobody forced you to take part in this endeavor, I shouldn't think."

"Ah, but what choice did I have? Stark is right; aside from you there are few people with more influence in the mutant community than myself, and thus nobody who could be more efficient in accomplishing our goals. I do want this enterprise to succeed, so clearly I had to agree. And if it will serve me in gaining some acceptance from my children and grandchildren, well, I never denied that I might be selfish in my motivations."

"They aren't your grandchildren." And of course Logan would pick up on that.

"Are they not? Ororo certainly seems to think so, as well she should, being Wanda's daughter. Billy likewise has no trouble calling me his grandfather. And if you happened to look up the official records, you would find that the legal mother of the Stark twins shares her name with my long-dead eldest daughter. If this is a fiction on my part, it is one they seem to be rather happy to agree with." Erik glanced back as he opened the door to the meeting room with a gesture. "Come to think of it, how is Tommy doing? I have received a couple of calls from him lately, but he seems rather reluctant to share information about his own situation."

"He is doing well, I'm glad to say. Sadly he is still somewhat reluctant to return home, but in the meantime he has been a great help with the kids. He certainly seems happier than he did when he arrived."

"Not that that'd take a lot of work," Logan murmured. "I've seen drowned rats that looked more cheerful."

"That's enough chitchat." Raven dropped down in the nearest chair, eyeing Erik with sharp golden eyes. "You want something from the Institute. So, let's hear it." Charles tutted quietly at her brusque approach, but he was also eyeing Erik with curious eyes. Logan merely grunted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Very well." Erik sat down across from Charles, folding his hands on the table. Not a war, not a battle, merely a negotiation, and even if this failed, nothing was lost.

Too bad he wasn't stupid enough to believe such empty reassurances.

*

Billy took the last shot, seeing a hole appear in the target at the other end of the range. Sighing, he set the gun down, waiting for the sounds to stop on the lane next to him before taking off his ear protectors. He was busy checking his gun when Tony stepped out of his own lane, grinning at him.

"Not bad at all, kid. You're getting better." He waved toward the targets.

"Yeah, that's great. Maybe soon enough I'll figure out just why I need to learn this stuff, anyway." Billy sighed. "I mean, I get that it's bonding or whatever, but I still don't really see the point. It's not like I'm planning to shoot someone, well, ever."

Tony's grin faded a little. "I certainly hope you'll never have to. Believe me, it's not a feeling I cherish, pointing a weapon at someone and pulling a trigger."

"So why do you insist that I practice? It makes no sense, anyway. I'm a witch, what do I do with a gun?"

"It's not always quite that simple." Tony motioned for him to follow, leading their way to the gun cabinet. "You know, there's three kinds of people," he said, his tone conversational. "There's those who are strong by their very nature, who are impervious to harm or very nearly so just because of who or what they are. There's Steve and Thor and Teddy and even Bruce, and no matter what kind of a situation they are in, they know they can face the danger."

"And that's got to do with teaching me to shoot how, exactly?"

"Patience, kid. I'm just getting to that." Tony scoffed, checking his own gun over one last time before putting it away. "There's also the kind of people who don't have any such powers. The regular people, like Pepper, who might be very vulnerable under threat, even as they are quite capable in their day-to-day actions." He waited until Billy had put his gun away properly before closing the cabinet securely. "And then there's those like you and I. We might be vulnerable, just like everyone else, but through some power or technological marvel, we can also be strong. Except that gives us a false sense of security, because sometimes that power might get stolen away, and then we find out exactly how fragile we actually are without that security."

"Because there are times I can't use my powers." Billy nodded slowly. "So, what? You're teaching me how to use a gun so I can protect myself when my magic doesn't work?"

"Not quite. I'm teaching you how to use a gun because it's a very good reminder of that fact. A gun is something you can hold in your hands, something that gives you an incredible capability for destruction, but it's also something you can lose. For all that I sometimes get the slightest bit cocky because of my suits and technology and everything, not that it happens very often," and yeah, that definitely deserved a snort from Billy, "it's sometimes good for me to remember that underneath all my tech I'm really quite vulnerable to the first thug who gets close with a gun."

"So essentially, this is supposed to be a reminder of my mortality?"

"Just a small, fatherly wish that you keep it in mind while we run around saving the world. Also, a very good way to hone your concentration, which is something I've been led to believe is quite essential to your magic." Tony paused, then gave him a small grin. "That, and Steve thinks I don't spend enough time with you, and I've really been getting rather lazy with JARVIS taking care of targeting for me, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone."

Billy snorted. "Good to hear I'm that high on your list of priorities." Not that he was complaining, not really. He knew Tony rarely made time in his schedule for other people unless he absolutely had to. Getting some of his precious time wasn't something Billy was about to take lightly.

Tony seemed to be about to say something, but they were interrupted by the ever calm voice of JARVIS. "Sir? I'm sorry for disturbing you, but there is a call for Master Billy."

"Oh?" Billy blinked, digging out his cell phone. Yes, a missed call; he must have forgotten to turn it on vibrate before coming to the range. "Ah, let it through?"

"Very well." JARVIS's voice disappeared, only to be replaced by another, almost as familiar one.

"Billy?" Erik. Erik was calling him. "Billy, are you there?"

"I'm here. Sorry, I didn't hear my phone." Billy frowned, glancing at Tony, who reflected his expression. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm afraid not." He certainly sounded distressed. "We need your help."

"Sure. With what?" It wasn't until Billy adjusted his cape as he rushed out of the range that he realized he had thought up his costume. He really was getting too used to the whole hero business. "Is it bad? Most of the team is out right now, but I can get Teddy, and I'm sure Tony can come as well."

"We're not sure." This time, it was Professor Xavier's voice, and wow, wasn't that an interesting development. "We got a message that something is going on at the school, and we need help getting there."

"Wait, you're not at the school?" Billy's frown deepened. "Professor, what's going on?"

"Just get to Potts Tower." Erik, again, gruff and curt, and yeah, that sounded about right. "We'll explain later."

"Right." Billy glanced again at Tony, who nodded. "I'll bring Teddy for now." If something indeed was going on, one more pair of hands — or fists, as it may have been — could not hurt.

"Thank you. We will be in Pepper's office." With that, the call ended.

"Okay, what's going on?" Billy rushed down the corridor. Last he knew, Teddy was in his studio, working on a drawing. "Far as I knew Erik and Charles haven't met face to face since they split up."

"I wouldn't know." There was something off with Tony's voice, but then, Billy wouldn't have put it past him to try his hand at matchmaking just for the hell of it. "You want me to alert the rest of the team?"

"I'll go see what's going on. If the situation at the school is bad, I'll call?" Okay, studio door, throw open. Teddy could tut at him later. "Teddy! Up and about."

"Billy?" Teddy was startled by his sudden appearance, then immediately set aside his pencil as he saw Billy's costume, then let his gaze slide on to Tony behind him. "Something bad?"

"I've got no idea, but something's definitely going on." Billy stepped forward, barely waiting for Teddy to stand up before grasping his arm and starting to chant. "I want to go to Potts Tower, I want to go to Potts Tower —"

It was a good thing he was getting better at directing his magic through thoughts and words, as the chant alone probably would have landed them in the lobby or somewhere similarly useless. Instead, his thoughts directed them straight to Pepper's office. Pepper was there, of course, along with a worried-looking Darcy and some rather unusual guests.

"Grandfather?" Billy blinked, then took in the rest. "And… Professor, Logan, Raven. What's going on?"

"Move now, chat later." Logan did not look particularly pleased, but then that was more or less his default expression. "We've got to get to Westchester, now."

"Okay, not that I'm not willing to help, but I do need to know a bit more." Even so, he was already summoning up the image of the school grounds in his mind. "Like, since when have you all hung out together?"

Erik and Charles glanced at each other, the briefest of glances before either of them spoke, and that silent agreement spoke volumes. As did, Billy suspected, Charles's thoughts. "This was supposed to be a reconnection of sorts for Erik and myself," Charles said. "Pepper rather generously let us use one of their meeting rooms as a neutral meeting ground. Logan and Raven insisted on coming along to guarantee my safety."

"Right." Billy frowned, focusing hard on what he wanted to do. He shouldn't require words, not for this, it was just a teleport despite the large distance, and somewhere familiar no less. He shouldn't need to chant for something this simple, he'd made the trip thousands of times. Just because he was opening up a portal instead of just blinking himself away it shouldn't be any different. "And you got homesick all of a sudden?"

"I got a text from the elf." Logan's scowl turned to nothing short of murderous. "For some inexplicable reason, some kind of armed thugs mysteriously chose this exact moment to attack."

"If you're accusing me —" was as far as Erik got before Teddy interrupted what seemed to be turning into a heated argument, much to Billy's relief.

"Okay. Armed thugs at the school, got it." Even as he spoke he grew bigger and greener, casual clothes making way for his usual uniform, and while Billy still felt slightly frazzled he immediately felt a lot better for that. He always felt more secure with Hulkling around. "We can figure out the who and why later, don't you agree?"

"I have no reason to believe Erik has anything to do with this," Charles agreed. "For one thing, he wouldn't have bothered to show up if this was his doing. He could have as easily simply agreed to the meeting and never showed up, having already arranged for us to be away."

Erik snorted. "Good to hear you trust me so much."

"You are not a stupid man, Erik. Hasty, sometimes, and not always the most considerate, but never stupid."

There were some more words, but Billy wasn't listening anymore. He had to focus on this, even without words, had to think of the portal and —

"There." The portal hung in the air, shimmering blue. "I'll pass through last to make sure it sticks around."

"I'll go first." Teddy nodded at him, then stepped through. Raven followed him, and Erik made to follow only to be interrupted by Logan's growl.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If you think I'm going to harm the children —"

"Stop it, both of you." Billy gritted his teeth. He could not let the portal collapse just yet. "Logan, you seem to trust me enough to head through a portal without getting any confirmation it really leads to where I say it does. For all you know, Teddy might have gone in first to get rid of anyone who follows him, yet you trust us. So trust me also when I say he won't harm the children."

Logan didn't look happy, but that was fine. He could deal with unhappy. "Not like I've got a fucking choice, do I? But I go first." With that, he practically pounced through.

With a curt yet grateful nod, Erik stepped in after him, Charles following him without a word. Billy stood before the portal a second, looking at Pepper and Darcy.

"I'll let everyone know if we need further help," he said. "And yes, we'll be careful."

Pepper nodded, and Darcy gave him a grim smile. "Go teach those creeps what it means to harass kids."

Billy chuckled despite himself, then stepped through the portal, letting it close behind himself. The last thing he wanted was for something to slip in past him.

It was kind of silly, that Tony would have felt the need to remind him about just how fragile he was, how fragile they all were.

He was all too aware of it, after all.

*

Tommy's hair was wet.

It was probably a testament to Noh-Varr's rather distracted frame of mind that this was the first thing he noticed as his companion walked in. Shortly after this observation came other, less pressing concerns, such as the fact that Tommy was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that clung to likewise damp skin, a small bag slung over his shoulder.

"You are wet." It was not the most intelligent of conversation starters, but it was the best he could offer with his still rather limited vocabulary. At least it was relevant to the situation, and hopefully implied a wish for some explanation for this state of affairs.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that." Tommy dropped down to the ground next to him, opening the bag and taking out a t-shirt that he pulled on, apparently unconcerned about his still wet skin. "I'll dry soon enough."

"Is that not strange?"

"Anyone asks, I got caught in the rain in Germany." Germany, Noh-Varr concluded from the rest of the sentence, was a location. Of course, he had no frame of reference for how specific an area this was, or how far it would be from their current location, except that it could well have rain at the moment despite their clear skies.

"You were in water." Brilliant deduction, Noh-Varr, you truly are a credit to your race.

"Kind of." Tommy gave him a quirked grin, then dug into his bag again. "Is this what you wanted?" He pulled out another object and passed it to Noh-Varr. He took it into his hands, looking down at the thin, rectangular device. One of the emergency computers from the ship.

"You found it." He couldn't entirely contain the surprise in his voice. Yes, he had mentioned wishing for this particular device, but it had been a while ago, and any specific directions would have been rather difficult with his limited language skills, even assuming everything in the ship hadn't been wrecked beyond recognition. "How?"

"Spent a lot of time looking, that's how. Got a lot of use out of a diving light. Good thing I already knew most places from looking for the crew, phasing underwater a lot makes me sick." Noh-Varr wasn't sure he caught all the details in Tommy's explanation; there were a few unfamiliar words there, still. Tommy did not particularly concern himself with only picking words he knew Noh-Varr would understand. On one hand, this was good for his learning, but on another, it meant he sometimes missed things.

There was something much more important at hand right now, though. Noh-Varr slid his fingertips along the smooth surface of the screen. It appeared unharmed as he turned the device around, looking for any obvious damage. It was wet, yes, but this gadget had been designed to withstand most extreme conditions, including complete submersion. It wouldn't have been very useful emergency equipment otherwise.

Setting his palm in the middle of the screen, he waited for the screen to light up. Tommy was watching him with curious eyes, but Noh-Varr ignored him for now. As the light came on, he drew a deep breath. It had to work.

" _State your name and purpose for usage._ " Okay. At least he was starting right.

" _Ensign Noh-Varr, requesting survival access. Primary use language learning and translation protocols._ " He waited a moment until the screen showed the language program interface, then thrust it towards Tommy, switching back to his language. "Speak."

Tommy blinked, then shrugged. "Uh, hello, alien computer gadget? Not sure what I'm supposed to say, but that never stopped me before. You know, Tony would have such a tech hard-on for you, it's embarrassing to even imagine it. Though then, he'd first have to come down from his nerd-high about the ship, and I don't think that's going to happen any time his century, because, yeah, wow. Let's hope someone's around to hide the wrenches and welding torches or he'll be taking shit apart soon as he finds out."

It took the computer a mere fraction of a moment to process this. " _Language recognized. English, Terran,_ " it informed him, and relief flooded Noh-Varr. He could do this, yes he could. " _Minor variation from known form, possible location or dimension variation. Probability of individual database items being incorrect 2.3%. Requesting additional input for calibration. Translation protocols online._ "

"Ah, good." Noh-Varr glanced at Tommy, who seemed bemused. "My computer," he said. "It will teach me to speak. You should speak, too, to teach the computer."

"Oh? So it's got some kind of a language program on it? And of course it knows English, why am I even wondering, all the aliens seem to learn English from somewhere. Is there an entire dimension out there where folks only speak English everywhere and all the space-faring races keep crashing through that before they come to Earth?" As Tommy spoke, a rough translation appeared on the screen in Kree. It wasn't too far off from what little Noh-Varr could understand on his own, which made him hopeful about both the accuracy of the program and his own skills.

"I do not know. This was my first mission. There are many worlds the Kree have visited." Noh-Varr paused, unsure of the correct words. Finally he switched to Kree, holding the screen for Tommy to read the translation. " _You know of different dimensions? Not many races have perfected the technology for crossing those borders._ "

Tommy read as quickly as he did everything else, answering as soon as Noh-Varr stopped speaking. "Yeah, this world doesn't have much cross-dimensional technology, and the one I come from wasn't too far with that, either. We're from another dimension, see, got here by magic. Billy's magic," he added, his tone taking a downward turn, his eyes drifting toward the doll that still guarded Noh-Varr's bed. Right. His brother.

Dimension. That was the word, the one he hadn't quite been able to pick out from Tommy's sentence before. "This is not your dimension?"

"Well, it is now. Billy made us fit this world, since we can't go back. Well, we could, but there'd be two of us, so it's better to get used to this one. I don't have much to miss from back there, and I think the rest are settling as well." Tommy paused, a mere blink but a significant span of time for him, as Noh-Varr was starting to understand. "I happen to know Billy meets with his other self sometimes. Thinks nobody knows about it, but I've seen them once or twice."

"That is strange." But then, he had very little knowledge of this thing Tommy called magic, beyond that it could accomplish certain things that would otherwise require rather advanced technology. "Is your family all from other dimension?"

"No, just Billy, me, Kate, and Teddy. Teddy's the half-Kree." That made Noh-Varr's heart sink. If he too was from another dimension, that meant there was no guarantee of his race existing in this world aside from himself and the other refugee. Tommy must have noticed the shift in his expression, as he was quick to change the subject. Noh-Varr wasn't about to complain.

It was some time later, in the middle of a rather complicated explanation about all the different forms of coffee and why Tommy seemed to prefer the kind that was little more than coffee-flavored sugar sludge, that Tommy suddenly paused, his head snapping up. He continued almost instantly, his tone still the same, but his hands were moving now. Pointing at Noh-Varr, then his ear, then a circle around them. Well. That was clear enough.

Noh-Varr closed his eyes, focusing on extending his hearing to its limit. Tommy's words continued, a constant stream of noise right next to him, but it was easy enough to filter that out. Outside he could hear the normal sounds of the forest, the wind in the leaves, birds singing —

No. The birds weren't singing, they were silent. And, as Noh listened closer, he could tell why.

He opened his eyes, finding Tommy looking at him with a question in his eyes. " _Footsteps,_ " he said in Kree, careful to keep his voice light and unconcerned, turning the screen towards Tommy to provide him with a translation. " _Several people approaching. Heavy, either they are big or bearing lots of equipment._ "

Tommy read the translation and nodded. He tensed, just for a moment, and then he was gone from where he had been sitting. Noh could only barely follow Tommy with his gaze as he rushed out of the door. After a second's silence there were shouts from outside, along with loud sounds that Noh had to assume were from weapons. He got up to his feet, pausing for a moment. He was trained in combat, of course, but he was also unarmed and injured. For all that his honor demanded him to rush outside and aid his companion, whatever was going on, a small part of him tried to convince him he would only be a hindrance.

Noh-Varr had just managed to make up his mind that he should head out regardless as Tommy returned. He looked somewhat worse for the wear, but he was moving without apparent difficulty, which Noh-Varr counted as a victory in itself.

"Grab what you need, Noh. We're getting out of here before someone else shows up." Tommy darted around the room, grabbing things here and there and stuffing them all into his bag. One of his arms was stained with blood, Noh-Varr noticed, a wound on his upper arm that would account for that. He took note of the things Tommy was collecting into his bag. Some of his electronic gadgets, a couple of bottles of water, candy bars. Clearly he wasn't planning on stopping for supplies right away.

Noh-Varr didn't have much in the way of belongings to gather. He wrapped his computer in a spare t-shirt and shoved it into the bag, then grabbed the closest medical supplies at hand, more for Tommy's sake than his own, bandages and painkillers. After a moment's thought he took Tommy's doll and added it to the bag, ignoring Tommy's dubious gaze. It wasn't for him, anyway, however much Tommy might have liked to deny his feelings regarding his brother.

"Ready?" Tommy gave him a questioning gaze, putting his shaded glasses on and strapping the bag around himself, now closed. As Noh-Varr nodded, he found himself suddenly picked up as though he weighed nothing and thrown over one shoulder, all without the use of Tommy's injured arm.

Well. Clearly speed wasn't his friend's only remarkable ability.

Before he could voice any kind of protest at this kind of treatment, they were out of the building that had become his home over the last weeks. Noh-Varr caught a glimpse of several people laid out on the ground, clearly in the aftermath of a battle, but then that was away as well and they were speeding through the forest, their surroundings melting into a blur that went by too fast even for his senses.

All of a sudden, he had lost what little of this world he could call familiar.

"We'll find somewhere safe," Tommy said, his voice somehow cutting past the howl of air in Noh-Varr's ears, and though there was anger in his voice it clearly wasn't directed at his passenger. "Somewhere nobody's coming after you."

Well. Perhaps there was still something familiar left.

*

Kurt didn't know what to do.

Well, really, he did. It was a rather easy equation, that of his fists and an intruder's head equaling a satisfying thud. He was outnumbered, that was for sure, but then that was hardly going to stop him. The intruders might have had numbers on their side, and were armed with something nasty besides, but then he had never been known to be predictable, certainly not in his movement. Besides, the patch of garden that had currently turned into a battleground worked well for him, with all kinds of hiding places for him to further conceal his movement, while his opponents didn't know the terrain and couldn't track his every move.

No, he could not take them all down by himself, not even when taking into account that there were others spread around the grounds, fighting as best as they could to keep the attackers away from the children. However, he didn't need to do that, or so he kept telling himself. All he truly needed to do was delay them long enough for help to arrive.

He tried his best not to think of how long that help might be in the coming.

He kicked back the head of one of the attackers, sending him sprawling against a wall with a nasty crack that somehow failed to elicit any sympathy from him. These bastards had stormed the school grounds, armed to the teeth, and tried to grab the children. One of the smaller ones had gotten knocked out from some kind of tranquilizers before Anna Marie had gotten in the way, teaching at least one intruder just what it meant to mess with Xavier's Institute. He wasn't sure the lesson was going to stick, though. It was hard to retain memories if you never woke up again.

A part of him hoped the man would survive. However, the only reason for that was that he didn't want his sister to bear that particular burden. These bastards deserved no better fate.

He only barely dodged a shot from one of the attackers, just about to drop down on the idiot when the man fell to the ground, unconscious. Logan was standing behind him, rubbing his knuckles, a gesture Kurt knew to be entirely for show.

"Damn it, you idiotic elf," Logan growled, and Kurt had never heard anything more beautiful. "I didn't play fucking tag with you so you could put those skills to use dancing on top of criminal heads."

"I know, I'm kind of proud of myself, too." One of the attackers tried to escape, but Kurt wouldn't have any of that. Hopping easily in front of the man, he punched him with all the force of his redirected leap. It wasn't much compared with what some of his colleagues could have done, but it was enough to send the man staggering back toward Logan, who finished the job with a sharp kick.

"What the Hell is going on, anyway?" Logan stomped around looking for signs of movement from the already downed enemies. "Did we declare war on someone or what?"

"I wish I knew, Mein Freund." Kurt paused to take off his t-shirt and throw it away. It restricted his movements too much, and it had already been torn anyway. "They showed up while most of the children were outside, so we couldn't intercept immediately. From what we can tell they came from all directions, so they must have been creeping closer for a while. Haven't had time to investigate how they got past the security."

"Not the time, anyway." Logan gave him a quick once-over, a simple practical glance to make sure he had no visible serious injuries. "The kids?"

"Should be safe. I told Kitty to lead some of them to the gym and lock the doors, while Mom and Hank have the rest down in the basement, according to Emma. The rest of us spread about to keep the creeps out."

"Right." Logan growled, kicking one unconscious body. Kurt resisted from telling him not to. He wasn't a cruel man, but he agreed with the sentiment too much at the moment. "Should have been here."

"You're here now, which is all I can ask for." Kurt frowned. "Should I ask how? I didn't think you could get here even nearly so fast."

"Called in some local help. Wiccan got us here much faster than any car could have." Logan gave an exaggerated shudder. "I've got to say, your jumps are significantly less unpleasant than magic."

Kurt laughed. "Remember that the next time you complain." He hopped over to stand beside Logan. "Looks like this area is cleared. Shall we go see elsewhere?"

Logan gave him a small smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Let's."

They didn't need to look very long. The blue flashes in the sky, followed by the rather distinctive silhouette of Hulkling rising above the school, were enough of a lead for them both to rush to the closest battle. As they turned the last corner to the front of the school, though, Kurt froze. "Is that —"

Wiccan was familiar enough a sight, Kurt had seen the Avengers on the TV often enough to know the black and red costume at a glance. He currently had a few of the enemies imprisoned inside a blue, glowing bubble, while his fiancé was doing a good job of rounding up stragglers. Kurt saw his mother in the distance, in the process of giving a rather impressive roundhouse kick, but none of that had his attention at the moment.

There was another caped figure floating in the air above the battle, easy as you please. Kurt had never seen it before, himself, hadn't even been born when such a sight had last been seen anywhere. He'd heard stories, of course, had seen a couple of pictures Charles had squirreled away that everyone else pretended not to know about. The man in the pictures had fascinated him as a child, the sharp eyes and grim expression even when surrounded by friends, the helmet that even made the always so friendly and calm Professor pause.

There was no helmet, now, and the brown hair from the pictures was white, but there was no mistake. The man flying there beside Wiccan, with his cape flowing in the same nonexistent wind as he easily wrenched weapons from the hands of the attackers, was Erik Lehnsherr.

Magneto was fighting on their side.

"The costume's Wiccan's doing. Don't know where he got the idea or the atrocious colors, but the man seems to like it well enough," Logan gruffed. "Chuck made it clear there's to be no killing, which probably explains why he's instead taken to weapon collecting."

"Would also explain why you've shown such admirable restraint with your claws," Kurt said, somewhat absent-minded. "Well, it looks like they've got everything under control here. Should we go see how things are going elsewhere? I believe Emma and Warren are the only ones behind the main building, and it's a big area for two people to guard."

"That's it?" Logan lifted an eyebrow. "That's all you've got to say?" And yet, he followed right alongside Kurt.

"We currently have two of his grandchildren at the school, one of them right next to him, and he's not wearing a helmet. Even if he was planning to alienate everyone who ever meant anything to him by turning against us at the end of the battle, he has no shield against Charles, and we already know from past experience he has no inclination to hurt Billy. If he tried, Teddy and Tommy both would be quite capable of taking him apart, and unlike yourself neither of them has easily manipulated metal as a vital part of their anatomy. If this was some fiendish scheme on his part, it'd be one designed to lead to his defeat."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to trust his motives."

"And I wouldn't ask you to. However, if you insist on worrying, you should rather be concerned about the possibility that he gets hurt. Just imagine how Charles would feel if he finally got Erik to come home only for him to get hurt protecting our kids." That should have been a ridiculous idea, really it should have, but instead all he could manage to do was shudder at the thought. If something like that happened, the Professor would be devastated.

'Indeed I would,' confirmed a quiet voice in his mind. 'Good thing I don't find that particularly likely to happen with his darling grandson right next to him, isn't it? In any case, I think it best we all focus on the matter at hand.'

Right. The matter at hand. Such as the effort of helping Warren take down those of the intruders Emma hadn't managed to turn into her very own flock of perfectly peaceful sheep.

Fist. Head. Thud.

Anything else could wait until later.

*

Billy was beautiful when he fought.

Teddy wasn't sure he should have been thinking this. It was probably unhealthy, fetishizing violence or however someone would put it, seeing beauty in something like that. However, he could never not see it, couldn't help feeling his breath catch in his chest when Billy rose to the air, looking incredibly fragile and terrifyingly powerful at the same time, sparks dancing in his eyes and at his fingertips.

Teddy always loved Billy, that wasn't the issue. He loved the often messy hair and the bright eyes and the sarcastic smiles that often accompanied his words, loved the encyclopedic knowledge of comic book superheroes and the genuinely good heart. However, there was something about the times Billy was Wiccan that drew him in, something about the way the power that was always there just under the surface was brought to light and made the world shake. It made Teddy shiver, seeing the evidence of the power that his boyfriend commanded and knowing that someone so powerful still considered him worth loving.

That, and the costume did things to Billy's legs that were probably illegal, but that was another thing entirely and was all about him being a healthy young man.

It wasn't like it was just the power that drew him, either, and that was the main reason he didn't bother worrying about his feelings. There were other people who he could call beautiful in the middle of the battle, could see the aesthetic value in something like the curve of Kate's bow or the glow of Tony's repulsors. However, none of that ever drew him in quite the same way Billy did, not even when he now saw Erik, who was so very similar yet entirely different in every way that mattered. No, he did not enjoy violence or carnage, just Billy.

It was good, though, seeing Billy and Erik like this. It wasn't the first time he had seen Wiccan and Magneto side by side, of course, though they had not allied in battle in this world before, wasn't the first time he had stood by the both of them against a common foe. However, this time their opponents were undeniably the bad guys, faceless mooks threatening children, not supposed heroes telling themselves they were merely freeing the world of a potential menace.

He saw Wolverine pass them by, except it was just Logan and not Wolverine, and when he glanced at Billy it was not with anger and mistrust but a kind of grudging fascination. Whoever their enemies were, Wolverine was not one of them, and that alone was always reason enough to feel relieved.

Teddy swooped in on another attacker who had found himself suddenly disarmed courtesy of Erik, picking the man up and flying him over to the bubble Billy had created, waiting for a hole to open in the forcefield before dropping the man in with his comrades. Some of them were hurling insults at them, but frankly, if that tactic had worked on Teddy he wouldn't have been an openly gay superhero in the first place.

"Hey Billy," he said as he flew close enough. "I'm pretty sure one of those guys just told me to go fuck myself. Is that something you'd like to see?"

"You aliens," Billy huffed, fighting against a smirk. "Coming here, waving your lifestyle in our faces, and now stealing my job as well."

"You're getting your metaphors all mixed up, darling. You can use aliens as a stand-in for homosexuality or immigration, but not both."

"I'm gay, mutant, and Jewish. Roma, too, if you want to get technical, and possibly android. I'll use my bigoted metaphors however I like and not listen to your WASP ass." Billy paused. "Which does not mean I'm not going to look at said ass instead, of course."

Erik snorted even as he crunched a pile of weapons into one crushed mass of metal. "I'm not sure what's more unsettling, the fact that you two are flirting in the middle of a battle or your casual remarks about having an android for a father."

"It was in a past life, mind, I'm not sure it counts. And I'm pretty sure Wanda married Kurt in another world if Nocturne's anything to go by, so clearly the problem is that she's just not that into the ordinary human skin thing. Or maybe she just likes the pretty colors?" Billy paused. "Either way, it seems to run in the family. Fancy that."

"I always knew you only loved me for my scales." Teddy blew a kiss at Billy. "Maybe we should rethink this whole marriage thing if you're just going to get your head turned the moment someone red comes along, since that's obviously your favorite color."

"Nah, that would look too much like Vision. Too creepy." Billy snorted. "Besides, if you think you're getting out of the wedding after all the time I've already put into the planning, you've got another think coming." He paused again. "That reminds me. Erik, if you want your invitation properly mailed instead of just magically deposited, we're going to need your proper address."

"So you plan to deprive me of the joy of crashing? Now however will I upkeep my evil reputation?"

"Please. If we didn't invite you, you'd just worm your way into being Charles's avec."

Erik seemed about to say something when they all froze as a sudden message flitted through their minds. 'Gentlemen, if I may interrupt?'

"Professor?" Billy said. "Something the matter?" He wasn't joking now. The mental tone of the Professor's thoughts didn't indicate that would be a good idea.

'Something is wrong with the children at the gym. I'd ask Kurt to check in, but he is occupied at the moment.'

"Right." Billy glanced at his collection of more or less subdued opponents. "Grandfather? Can you handle this lot if I let the bubble go?"

"Certainly." No sooner had he said this that the deformed weapons shot in as the bubble faded, wrapping themselves around their former owners before they could do anything. "You both go. I'm sure Raven and I have the situation under control here."

"If you're sure." Billy flew to Teddy and grasped his hand. Teddy heard the quiet murmurs only for a moment before his stomach lurched and they were away.

The children in the gym cried out in surprise and shock as they appeared, only to calm down as they were recognized. However, many of them still seemed somewhat panicked, and a couple of the younger ones were crying. Teddy glanced around for someone calm enough to explain what was going on, his eyes falling on a familiar face.

"Ah. Victor, right?" He stepped closer to the reptilian boy. He hadn't been to the school as often as the twins, but he'd visited a couple of times, and as far as he knew Victor liked him well enough. They were only a few years apart in age, and they both had the whole "green and reptilian" thing going with them.

He remembered some distant mention of Anole in the context of gay superheroes in their old world, but pushed the thought aside. Sexualities were not always constant between worlds, as was evident with Kurt and Logan, and it was both ridiculous and unfair to make any assumptions in that matter based simply on the fact that Victor didn't openly hate him.

"Right." The boy looked ready to punch someone. Teddy was going to go ahead and assume he was mad at the intruders, though, and not Teddy himself.

"You got any idea what happened here? The Professor just told us everyone here was upset." He glanced over to where Billy was quickly getting taken over by sniffly children clinging to him. Yeah, no information forthcoming there.

"One of them got in here." Teddy didn't let his panic show, but it was a near thing. "He grabbed one of the younger ones. Said he'd hurt her if we tried to stop him."

"And what happened then?" Calm down, Teddy. You won't help anyone by actually Hulking out now.

"It was Kitty." Victor looked aside, and that, Teddy knew that look all too well. The boy was blaming himself for not doing anything, and God, this was an X-man right here for all that they didn't exist in this world, a real X-man instead of those hypocrites who thought mutant powers were a beautiful thing to be proud of unless you happened to belong to a bloodline that scared them personally. "She told him to take her instead. Said she'd get him out of here without anyone seeing him, if he just left the kids alone."

"Of course she did." Teddy sighed. "And he accepted?" He must have, or there'd be more than just crying kids in here.

"Yeah. She took him through that wall." Victor pointed at the back wall. No doors, so nobody would be watching. Away from the part of the grounds with the biggest fight. Yeah, that was a good way to escape undetected.

"Right. Now, listen." He lifted his voice a bit for the other kids to hear, but kept his words directed at Victor. "We're going after Kitty. You, make sure all the doors are properly locked. Do not let anyone in, even if you hear someone familiar asking you to. Either Wiccan or Kurt will 'port in once we're sure it's safe to come out. And if someone tries to force their way in, attack first and ask questions later. Got it?"

"Right." Victor still wouldn't meet his eyes, but nodded anyway. "You'll find her, right?"

"We will." That much, he could at least promise. "Billy can find anyone." He turned back toward Billy, who was now peeling children off himself as gently as he could. "Bee? You hear that?"

Billy nodded, a grim look on his face. "Yeah, I've got it." He offered his hand to Teddy with a mocking smile, then, as Teddy took it, started another chant. "I want to find Kitty, I want to find Kitty, I want to find Kitty —"

The gym faded out around them just as Teddy started to wonder just how tired Billy would be once all the adrenaline ran out. All these portals and jumps had to be wearing him down, even aside from the battle.

As the world reoriented itself, Teddy blinked. He hadn't been sure where he had expected to rematerialize. Somewhere in the woods, maybe, where the bad guy could make his escape mostly undetected. What he absolutely hadn't expected was a couple of paces away from the school's walls.

"Kitty?" She was there, yes, on her knees on the ground and crying. "Kitty, God, are you all right?" Teddy rushed to her side and crouched down, trying to calm himself. The bad guy had just dumped her here and ran off, that had to be it. He wouldn't have needed her once he got out, after all, she would have just slowed him down. She was just in shock, nothing worse.

Nevertheless, his eyes kept sweeping the area around them even as he set his hand on her shoulder, as gentle as he could manage in his current body. She flinched, and he immediately drew his hand back.

"Kitty? It's me, Teddy Banner. Hulkling?" He shifted back to his usual form. It might be better to be less threatening. "Are you all right?"

She finally managed a little nod, still sniffling. "I'm — I'm fine." She did not sound fine at all, but Teddy would take what he could get.

"What happened? We checked in on the kids inside the gym, they're all right. You hear that, Kitty? The kids are all right." As though she wasn't one of the kids, one of those who should have been protected instead of protecting. And God, that was a rather screwed-up thought for him to have. Sure, she was still a student, but she was older than they had been when they first started out.

But then, that was why he knew just how much too young they had been.

"I — I couldn't let him harm the kids." Kitty sobbed. "I told him I'd take him out, if only — if only he let the kids be, and then —"

"It's all right, Kitty." Even though he had a sinking feeling it very much wasn't. "What happened then? Where did he go?"

"I took him out of the gym," Kitty whispered, her eyes shut tight as she hugged herself. "Except I didn't."

For a moment Teddy was confused, about to ask for clarification. Then, however, a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to Billy's serious face, then turned his gaze to where Billy was pointing.

The wall stood not far from them, the only direction he hadn't checked out for immediate threats. There wasn't anything particularly unusual about it, a length of brick and stone that would have been no obstacle whatsover to Kitty's powers.

There was a hand reaching out of the wall, still and lifeless. Teddy swallowed.

Well. At least they didn't have to chase down the bad guy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though everyone at the school seems to be accounted for, they soon realize Tommy is missing. Erik receives a call for help, and though there isn't much Billy can do to help his brother, it seems his good wishes reach Tommy anyway.

"All the children are accounted for." Emma strode into the dining hall, as frighteningly efficient as ever. "Raven and Irene are bringing the rest of them up right now." She barely gave a glance over to where Kurt was sitting, Logan muttering curses over his wounds. It was somewhat ridiculous, really; he was pretty sure none of them even needed stitches. Some cleaning up and bandages would take care of most of them, and he could have very well done that himself.

Not that he would have told Logan not to fuss, not after he'd almost passed out right in front of him after one teleport too many. He was quite fine now, but it wasn't like he could prove that. Logan sometimes seemed to be of the opinion that just because he was more resilient than anyone else around him, this meant that the rest of them would break at the lightest touch.

"Thank you, Emma." The Professor gave her a tired smile. "And our, ah, guests?" This was followed by a rather meaningful gaze at the children gathered around the tables, as though they hadn't all known precisely what he meant.

"Rounded up and not going anywhere. Hank, Warren and Bobby are keeping an eye on them." Emma shook her head. "I'm not sure we are going to get much useful information out of them, though. I interviewed a couple and they knew very little. It seems they were definitely aiming to capture mutants, though."

"How unfortunate for them that mutants will not let themselves be captured so easily, then." Kurt shifted, only to have Logan clamp on his arm with a growl. Apparently he wasn't done just yet, judging by the small grumbles about stupid elves who'd get themselves killed without anyone to stitch them back together.

"Indeed." Erik folded his arms over his chest, leaning against a wall behind Charles like some kind of a bodyguard, and okay, Kurt was still not entirely over the fact that Magneto was here. Yes, he had known he was technically Billy and Tommy's grandfather, and that Logan, Raven and Charles had gone to meet him today, but that didn't mean he had been quite prepared for seeing the man himself. From the stories he had heard, he might have expected someone more reminiscent of a monster from a fairytale, but instead he saw simply a tired old man with a deep frown.

Okay, so the cape and everything weren't entirely standard issue for all old men, but then that was apparently Billy's fault, so Kurt was just going to ignore that.

Billy himself was sitting nearby, leaning against his boyfriend's side while talking into his phone with a low tone. Teddy had reached an arm around him in a casual manner, cheek pressed against his hair as though that was a perfectly normal and natural thing to do. Kurt might have felt jealous of such easy affection for a second, except just then Logan taped down one last bandage.

"There." He stood up next to Kurt. "Now you won't fall apart if someone glares at you and I won't have to dodge your mothers for the next year for letting you get killed."

"It was never that bad." Kurt sighed, but his lips were trying to force themselves into a smile. "But thank you, in any case."

Billy wrapped up his call then, standing up and walking over to the professor. "Tony's flying over in the suit, and bringing Steve," he said, loud enough for Kurt to hear, though most of the children probably missed it. "They're also alerting SHIELD, who will be taking custody of the attackers and taking care of the rest of this mess."

"Thank you." Charles nodded. "I did wonder how we would explain this to the authorities."

"Yes, well, Tony thought this might have something to do with the weird creeps stalking mutants lately. And in any case, this is clearly not something for the regular police." His voice dropped, which clearly was Kurt's cue to get closer. Logan threw him a glare but didn't try to stop him. Thankfully there were limits to how far he was willing to go with fussing.

"I would think not." He nodded again. "Thank you again. Your help really has been invaluable."

"I just did what I could." Billy seemed to hesitate. "Ah. Is everyone accounted for?"

"Yes. Emma just confirmed that the children are all safe, and the staff have all checked in."

"Right." Now he was clearly hesitant, worrying his lower lip for a second. Teddy came up behind him, setting a hand at the small of his back. "So. Ah. Where's Tommy?"

Charles's eyes widened just a fraction before he took on a calm expression, the one designed to keep everyone around him calm without the need for mental nudges. "He wasn't around when we left for the city. I presumed he was out meeting with Pietro."

"Can't be," Erik said, frowning. "Pietro's with Ororo today, he's taking her to the zoo. I'm pretty sure Ororo would have gushed even more about it if she got Tommy for the day, too."

"And he can't be with Kate, she's off somewhere with Clint." Billy was clearly trying to keep up a calm appearance as well, but he wasn't quite as successful as Charles.

Kurt was debating whether he should say something when a small voice cut in, speaking fast. "I might know where he is." Turning to look, Kurt found Matt standing nearby, his hands gripping his phone with white knuckles. He had headphones on, presumably for the altered speech program.

"Really?" The Professor offered an encouraging smile. "What do you think, then, Matt?"

Matt started to speak, fast at first, then paused and forced himself to slow down. "Ah. I'm not really sure. But I know he's got a secret place."

"A secret place?" Erik's eyebrows shot up. "And where would that be?"

"In the woods somewhere." Matt fidgeted a bit at being the center of so much attention. "I don't know what he's doing there, but he's been going there every day. Sometimes many times a day. I noticed because I tried to go and talk to him once but he didn't notice me and ran to the woods instead."

"Thank you, Matt. That is very helpful." Charles glanced around at the staff members who were present. "Does anyone know about this?"

"News to me." Anna Marie shook her head. "He certainly hasn't shared any secrets with me." Emma just frowned, while Logan and Kurt both denied their knowledge.

"I can go look." As Logan made to say something, Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm better now, and no, I'm not going to fall over. I was tired, I'm feeling better now, and I won't bamf anywhere until I'm sure I can handle it."

"Because clearly you know your own limits so very well." Logan grunted. "I'll come along. Someone's got to drag your ass back out if the kid's secret turns out to be explosive."

"Oh, I'm sure my ass is in good hands with you." Perhaps that was slightly inappropriate, but it was well worth it for the half exasperated, half amused snort from Logan. He'd been frowning ever since he got back to the school. Not that Kurt could blame him for taking the situation seriously, but that didn't mean he didn't wish to see other expressions from him.

"We should —" Billy made to say, but Kurt halted him with a raised hand.

"No. Logan and I know the area better. The only way you could search more efficiently is if you used magic, and you seem ready to collapse." It was true enough. Billy was putting on a brave face, but it was clear he was tired. Kurt could symphatize. "Your skills may be needed yet, so you should get some rest for now."

"Right." Billy sighed. "Probably better if it's not me finding him, anyway." There was a hint of regret in his tone, and it made Kurt wince.

"I'm sure it isn't all that terrible, Mein Freund." He patted the boy's shoulder, then glanced at Logan. "Shall we, then?"

"Let's." Logan grunted, turning to go without any further preambles. "And if I find out he's just been napping somewhere and letting everyone worry for nothing, I'll make damn well sure the Stark line won't continue through him at least."

"I'd really prefer that scenario to the alternative." Not that he was entirely sure what the alternative would have been.

However, he did know he wouldn't like it.

*

"I saw him around the woods sometimes." Logan marched after Kurt, watching him leap between the trees ahead, covering a wide area as they proceeded. "Thought he was just sneaking out for a smoke. Should have known something else was up."

"Nobody's blaming you, Mein Freund." Kurt sat on a branch above his head for a moment, then leaped forward again. "It seems nobody realized he was doing something out here."

"Yeah, well, being able to move faster than most people can see must be useful." Logan rolled his shoulders, still a bit stiff after the battle though all his wounds had healed already. "The kid have any idea what he was doing?"

"Not really, no. Though if he did sometimes spend time here, it seems likely he would have somewhere specific in mind." Kurt paused, the lack of movement almost startling after his constant nervous energy. "Wait. There is that old building not far from here, is there not?"

"The overgrown garden shed?" Logan lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, can't remember when it was last used, though. Not sure I've ever been inside, myself." He'd always imagined it might have seen some use as a stables, back in the day, big enough to house a few horses and not much else. 

"Sounds like the perfect place to hide a secret, hmmm?" Kurt swung himself up to a higher branch. "It's not that far from the main buildings, as I remember, but out of sight. It was a great place for hide-and-seek when Anna Marie was little."

"Let's go check it out, then. He'd have found it within five minutes of looking around the place, and that's if he's going slow." Which just made it all the stranger that he hadn't reappeared as soon as all the enemies were cleared out, if not before. Strange, not worrying, because Logan refused to worry over some young idiot getting himself into trouble. If trouble was indeed what was afoot.

"Let's." Kurt changed directions, now, heading off toward where he likely knew the building to be. Logan followed him, breaking into a run. No point in wasting time.

They hadn't yet reached the building when he already knew something was up. There were marks of recent activity all around it, trampled plants, marks in the dirt. He didn't even have to try to catch the smell of blood. "Something bad happened here, not long ago."

"So it certainly seems." All hints of cheer had disappeared from Kurt's face. After what looked like a moment of internal debate, he lifted his voice. "Tommy! Tommy, are you here?"

They waited for a moment, with no answer. Logan growled and shook his head. "The blood's pretty fresh, but I can't hear or smell anyone nearby right now. My guess is he fought some of those guys who attacked the school, but after a fight they had to run."

Kurt frowned. "They? You mean the bad guys?"

"No. I mean Tommy and whoever else's smell is all over the place. And since I'm sure you were just dying to know, someone around here hasn't had access to an indoor bathroom, and I kind of doubt the super-tech kidnappers would be quite that terrified about facing a really fast kid." And a small mystery had just become a rather big one.

"Well." Kurt hesitated, then walked to the closed door of the building, his steps slow but resolute. "I guess we should find out more."

The door opened easily, but then, Logan rather suspected nobody had taken the time to close it. The inside of the place was dim, anything resembling a window covered up, with only slim slivers of light sneaking in between cracks in the walls. Kurt, however, only took the darkness as an invitation, walking further with some more confidence. A moment later, Logan blinked at sudden light as Kurt lifted up an electric lantern he had just lit up.

"It certainly seems like someone has been living in this place for a while." Kurt glanced around the room, his tail swishing in a nervous manner.

The signs definitely pointed to a long-term occupancy. There was a crude bed in one corner, made up of various blankets and pillows. He supposed a mattress would have been a bit too conspicuous to carry about. Two collections of bottles of water and various soft drinks were neatly lined up near it, one group full, the other empty. Snack wrappers, take-out containers, a pile of pizza boxes at the far corner. Plenty of mealtimes spent here, and enough organization that it wasn't just somewhere convenient to sneak in for a snack. You didn't want to just toss the trash around if you had to spend your days here.

And someone did spend a lot of time here, that much was clear. There was a big pile of papers near the bed, each bearing crude drawings, along with some scrawlings that Logan vaguely recognized as Tommy's handwriting and others that were unfamiliar. A couple of books lay nearby, the kind with plenty of pictures and a few grand words that people kept on coffee tables to make it look like they had Interests. There was another lantern, too, along with spare batteries, and a pile of folded clothes. It was as fine a living place as you could make when you could only bring whatever you could carry on foot.

"Someone left in a hurry." Logan knelt down to look at two opened cans of coke. "These are still half full."

"It has to have been during the attack." Kurt twitched a bit, then set the lantern down with care. "I'll — I'll check out the surroundings once more."

"Don't get into trouble." Because, yes, Kurt could just skip out of the way of whatever threatened him, but he wasn't invulnerable. Rather, he would have been all too easy to harm for someone who knew his weaknesses. Not that Logan couldn't have taken down a few more bastards who thought mutants were something to put in a cage, but he wouldn't have minded a breather. It got boring after a while, that was all.

Kurt merely gave a chuckle before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Logan alone to explore the inside of the shed. Shifting through the papers, he found some that were apparently print-outs, mostly pictures like the books. A drawing of what amounted to little more than a bunch of stick figures had been labeled with names, each written out in block letters. Tony. Steve. Billy. Teddy. Even Wanda was there, and Pietro and a little Ororo. On the other side of the paper he found somewhat more careful portraits of a couple of the people, continued on another sheet, again with the names. Not works of great art, but enough to put in some recognizable features. Logan couldn't help but wonder if he'd find himself, or Kurt and the others, if only he looked long enough.

Sometimes, there were other marks, unfamiliar to Logan but arranged in a way that suggested writing. Wasn't that just the most interesting thing.

"You know," he called out, loud enough for his voice to carry through the open door, "either Tommy thinks he's back in kindergarten, or he's been teaching someone about his family. And possibly English." There were other pictures, too, other words. Car. Skyscraper. Computer. Let it never be said Starks didn't have their priorities. "And he definitely had someone hidden in here."

"Yes, well," Kurt replied through the wall, and there was an odd tone to his voice. "I am less concerned about the one he sheltered and more about the ones he didn't."

"Elf?" Logan frowned, hurrying out of the shed. The voice had come from nearby, somewhere to the direction of the back of the building. He walked around the corner. "What do you — oh."

Kurt was kneeling on the ground, his hand hovering just above a low mound of dirt, set in a very telltale shape. It was accompanied by several others, all in a neat row along the back of the building. Not quite new enough to be called fresh, but there were still obvious signs of where the vegetation had been cleared out of the way.

"Graves." He bit back a curse, walking closer. "What the fuck is this about?"

"I am not sure, but I believe Tommy would know." Kurt pointed toward the other side of the row. Each mound was marked by a small metal plaque, engraved in strange, alien alphabet. "I'm fairly sure those are of his making."

"He'd probably have the tools for it in his workshop, yeah." Logan nodded slowly. "But the text is someone else's doing."

"It has to be names, though. The symbols are different in each one." A small tremor ran through Kurt's frame, clear enough under Logan's hand as he reached to touch one slim shoulder. "Meaning that someone knew the people buried here."

"That someone probably being the one in the shed, I'd guess." Logan nodded. "Any way of figuring out exactly what was going on here?"

"Well, we do have one lead." Kurt nodded toward the plaques. "I'll snap a photo and send it over to the Avengers. Perhaps one of them can at least tell us what kind of writing this is."

"There's more of that in the shed. A lot of drawings, too. Those might have some more clues to who he was hiding and why." And why exactly he had chosen to do so on the school grounds.

"We can hope." Kurt gave a brief nod, somewhat grim compared with his usual easy cheer as he drew out his cell phone, aiming at one of the metal signs. The phone flashed, and Kurt brought in his tail, tapping at the screen at a rapid pace for a moment. The buttons tended to be too small for his fingers, but thankfully his other main appendage was rather dexterous. "And maybe we can find out who was buried here."

"Whatever the answer is, I get the feeling we'll have to dig even deeper into the attack." After all, the attack had prompted Tommy and his mysterious charge to disappear. There was no way it wasn't connected somehow.

"Yes, well, hopefully some of the survivors can give us some more information." Kurt shook his head. "And hopefully it won't be too late for someone."

"You know, for someone who's usually so damn cheerful, you've got a pretty deep pessimistic streak."

"I worry, as you well know. I try not to fret as a general policy, but I would argue that an armed assault on school grounds is enough reason for me to grow concerned." Kurt seemed about to say something else, but then blinked as the phone buzzed in his hand. "Ah. It seems Billy would know something."

"Already?" Logan raised his eyebrows. "That was fast."

"Suppose they didn't have to think long." Kurt read the text, then whistled. "Well. Apparently we're having an alien invasion."

"You're joking." Except of course he wasn't. Things just couldn't be that simple.

"Sadly, no. Those alphabet belong to a species called the Kree. The younger Avengers can't read them, but they're positive about the identification."

"That meteor." Of course. "I don't think it was just a chunk of rock."

"It's rather early to say that, but I wouldn't rule it out." There was another buzz, and Kurt read the new message. "Billy asks us to meet them back at the school so we can bring them here to look for more clues."

"Sounds good enough for me. Some more light on this fucking mess can only be a good thing." He had never liked others intruding on his turf, particularly when it involved someone trying to hurt the kids. He didn't put up with their daily bullshit just to see someone grab them away, damn it.

Kurt's tail curled around his arm for a moment, the short fur soft against his skin. A nervous shiver vibrated against his arm for a second, then it was away, along with the tail. Logan resisted the urge to reach after it as Kurt stood up, the tip of the tail dipping down to swish around his ankles. This wasn't the time for that, not when they had a couple of kids to track down.

Then Kurt took his hand, a ghost of a smile on his face, and they were away.

*

There was, Erik mused, always something quite beautiful about the way a powerful mutant could affect their environment. Even aside from any visual appeal from the more aesthetically pleasing powers, it always tugged at a cord somewhere deep within him to see all that power and potential manifested in full. This was what his kind could do, the lengths they could reach when given the freedom to express themselves.

Though then, he wasn't quite lofty enough to pretend there wasn't an element of personal pride as well as he saw Billy rise from beneath the lake's surface, enveloped in blue light like something out of a fairytale.

"Well?" Tony Stark apparently wasn't equally enchanted, frowning as the young man floated towards them. "Anything interesting?"

"That's definitely a Kree ship down there." Billy touched ground, the light fading just before he shook his head, dislodging a few droplets that had somehow made their way there while the rest of him stayed perfectly dray. "I cast a spell over it for now. Anyone going down there without knowing precisely what they're looking for will look right through it. It's not perfect if anyone starts poking, but it should be enough that if SHIELD does try to look around, Charles can convince them it's not worth a further look."

"That's great. Well, no it's not, an alien ship out of nowhere is not good in any way, but it's good that SHIELD won't get their grabby hands on it." Stark gave a dramatic sigh. "I'd much prefer to get my own grabby hands on it, but alas, that'll have to wait."

"Indeed." Billy managed a faint smile, but it wasn't very convincing. "Especially since there's at least one survivor out there by the looks of it, so clearly you can't just go running around claiming it for yourself."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure that'd stop Fury from trying to do the same." Stark frowned. "So, is it fashionable among you kids to look like death warmed over, or should you go lie down?"

"I'm fine, just tired." Billy did look rather pale, though, but the smile he offered this time was a tad more convincing, if still exhausted. "Too much magic in short succession can get pretty exhausting."

"Clearly." Stark shook his head. "So, are you going to go get some rest or will we need to get Teddy to come get you?"

"Mmm. I think I can manage one last hop." With that and a small grin, Billy started glowing again, floating off the ground before blinking away.

Stark gave an exaggerated shudder. "Magic. Never going to not get on my nerves."

"Think he's going to get that rest, or will we have to go remind him?"

"Knowing Billy? He's going to materialize right in Teddy's arms and then immediately pass out." Stark shook his head and sighed, then turned to walk along the edge of the lake. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be more worried and everything, but I know Teddy's going to make sure he gets the rest he needs, even if he needs to claw out Fury's remaining eye to do that."

"Billy is fortunate to have him." No, he still did not particularly get along with Stark. The man grated on Erik in a way he suspected had very little to do with their differences and all too much to do with their similarities, which he was going to fiercely deny. However, they could at least mostly agree on the topic of the twins, if only to admit that a continued state of happiness for both Billy and Tommy was a desirable outcome of any given situation.

"Oh, never doubted that." Stark didn't precisely wait for Erik to settle into step beside him, but somehow their strides seemed to work towards matching each other along the way back toward the school. "I'll just keep hoping he doesn't take after me in the department of screwing up relationships."

"Oh, I don't know. You seem to be doing well enough, from what the tabloids tell me."

Stark snorted. "Right. The tabloids which seem to think I've somehow managed to find a way to cheat on both Steve and Pepper with the other, while they both are merely innocent victims of my vile temptations. You know, despite all the trouble we've gone to in order to appear as a social unit, all three of us."

"Public opinion is sadly not exactly required to be sensible or even truthful." Erik shook his head. "At least the more extreme views seem to have been left in the minority."

"Yeah, it's great. This month we've only had one interviewer asking Steve how he can possibly support the abomination in the making that is his stepson's upcoming wedding."

"I'm assuming the good Captain was too good to resort to physical violence despite the temptation."

"Yeah, well, Steve is Steve. He put on his best innocent expression and waxed lyrical about how of course it's regrettable that the boys won't have a good old Catholic mass, really, he's not sure if he'll be able to consider them married at all, clearly we should go back to the days of the Biblical definition of marriage." Stark paused for a moment, a smirk taking over his face. "Then, when the interviewer wholeheartedly agreed, Steve started musing on how many hundred concubines I'd take on the moment that became legal, and who exactly he's supposed to buy Pepper from since she doesn't have surviving male relatives."

Erik snorted with amusement. "I hope that at least sank in? Well. Not that I'm too hopeful, knowing the type."

"Who knows. He did finish off on a rather pretty little piece on how a true Christian would know better than to judge, lest they be judged, or somesuch. Oh, and how loving your neighbour was the one thing Jesus really pushed for, so he'd love to see some more of that happening, not that he's holding his breath." Stark shook his head. "Sometimes he almost makes me wish I was more inclined to believe in stuff like that. If there is a god out there somewhere, I kind of hope it's Steve's. There certainly are worse options advertised."

"I tend not to give much thought to those subjects, myself." What faith he might have once had in a good and merciful deity had not exactly stuck around through everything he had suffered through. "But if someone like him can find comfort in that, more power to him."

"Agreed." Stark paused for a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Damn. I'm getting a headache from this mess and I wasn't even actively involved."

"That might just be Charles's payback from ruining his lawn when you arrived." Not that Charles was particularly given to petty vengeance, but it wasn't like he was going to pass by such an opportunity to poke at Stark.

"Oh, please. There was hardly any lawn left after your little tumble with everyone. And you didn't even have the decency to leave some for us."

"You seemed to find enough to do as it was." Steve had certainly been all too eager to help with calming down the children the moment he'd arrived, ruffling hair and handing out words of encouragement at every opportunity. Stark, on the other hand, had taken one look around and gotten on the phone with SHIELD. Better him than Erik, in any case.

"Yeah, well, I still would have liked to punch in a few faces. There's low, and then there's rounding up unarmed kids low." There was a spark of dark fire in Stark's eyes that made Erik doubt he would have found it easy to stop at mere punches.

"Yes, well, these ones at least won't be rounding up anyone anytime soon." He was about to continue as he was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone. With a glance at Stark and a nod in return — he wasn't entirely without manners, whatever Pietro might have insinuated at times — he dug out the device, glancing at the screen.

Tommy.

Stark must have read the fact on his face, as his expression turned sharp immediately. Erik slid his thumb along the screen to answer, then brought the phone to his ear. "Tommy. What the hell are you doing?"

"Now what kind of a question is that?" Tommy sounded half amused, half irritated. Great. That was much better than, say, in great pain. "Not even going to ask why I'm calling?"

"Let me guess." Erik closed his eyes briefly. "A group of armed men attacked your little hideout in the woods, trying to get at your friend, so you fought them off and fled?"

"How did you —" Tommy started, then released a rather colorful string of curses. "The school. They didn't —"

"They tried but failed." Erik sighed. "We believe the children were their main target all along, so don't beat yourself up over it." Never mind that it probably had been the crashing ship that had first attracted attention. A strike force of that size wouldn't have been sent merely for one alien. "This matches with reports we've had earlier of suspicious people bothering mutants. This is an organized effort, not some stroke of bad luck you brought upon everyone."

"Still. Fuck. I should have been — they didn't get anyone, did they? Should have thought, damn it, I just ran and —"

"I told you, don't." Erik used his best commanding voice, the one that sometimes, once in a blue moon, could get even Pietro to pause and listen for a moment. "You did right to get your friend to safety when he was clearly under attack. Besides, between the school's staff, Billy, Teddy, and myself, we made rather short work of the rest of their force."

"And they're all right?" The clarification for his brother passed between them without need for words.

"Aside from minor cuts and bruises, everyone's okay." He wasn't going to mention the poor girl right now. If Tommy started blaming himself, they wouldn't get anywhere with the conversation. And she was all right, physically, so it wasn't like he was lying. "The teleporters seem to be rather wrung out, while everyone else is licking their wounds and trying to calm the children. Your darling father and his Captain showed up after, with SHIELD to follow shortly, so we don't even need to worry about clean-up."

"SHIELD. They can't —"

"We're not telling them anything about your little guest." He could almost hear the relief radiating from Tommy's end of the line. "Stark and Captain aren't exactly eager at the idea of SHIELD confiscating all that potentially deadly alien technology. If any of the idiots babble anything about aliens, we can blame it on them mistaking some of the more extreme physical mutations for proof of such."

"You got them, then?"

"For the most part." This, he did not like to admit. "Some of them escaped, apparently including those who tried to attack you. We'll have SHIELD look for them, though." And try to track them down on their own, of course, but if they could delegate some of the legwork to Fury's goons, Erik wasn't going to complain.

"Okay. Great. That's — that's great."

"Indeed. I presume I can reach you at this number if and when we have news." He didn't bother to make it a question. "So. What do you need?"

"What, can't a guy call his grandfather without needing anything?"

"One, you'd never call me that unless you were trying to get in my good graces. Two, in this instance, there is no way you simply called me to complain about your troubles. If you didn't need something, probably something that only I can provide at that, you would have called someone at the school to make sure they were fine and wouldn't worry about you." Erik did trust this to be true. Tommy could be somewhat rash at times, but he had a good heart underneath an exterior that rather suggested otherwise.

Erik was going to file that under differences between the two of them and not hear to any protests, no matter how much Billy would have doubtless liked to argue that particular point.

"I need somewhere to hide." The words came out at a grudging pace, as though it pained Tommy to say them. It probably did, if he was as similar to Pietro as he seemed to be. "Not my usual preferred way of action, but, well. I'm not going to endanger everyone by bringing Noh in before the rest of those guys have been caught, and I can't get them on my own. Well, I probably could if I really tried, but then my choices would be to either leave Noh alone somewhere or take him to them, and neither of those options seems very appealing right now."

"So you need to lay low."

"Yeah. I mean, you're going to chase them down, right? If they tried to go after the kids and all." There was a brief tone of uncertainty to Tommy's voice before he forced it out, but Erik wasn't that easily fooled.

"We would even if your friend had been the only intended victim." Erik glanced at Stark, who gave a firm nod. "I know you have had bad experiences, Tommy, and I don't blame you. I personally wouldn't trust SHIELD as far as I can throw their huge metal monstrosity in the sky, and even for me that wouldn't be very far. However, your team and family aren't SHIELD."

"Couldn't take the risk either way." This time, it was a hint of tiredness that started creeping in. "Do. You got any idea where we could hide? And don't try to tell me you don't have hideouts all over. You wouldn't have made it this far alive and free without having some sort of a scheme going on."

"I do not have hideouts, no. But I can offer you safehouses." Not the same thing at all, no matter how much Stark chose to roll his eyes. "Where are — no, that's not going to matter, is it? Not to you."

"Well, I'm still in the States. And I'd prefer somewhere on this continent, if at all possible. I've only got one arm to work with, so I don't want to risk carrying Noh over a lot of water."

Erik drew a sharp breath. "If you're injured —"

"It's nothing, okay? Just a scratch. Looks worse than it is, and I've got it all bandaged up already. No need to worry about it, I just don't want to rely on it for the full weight of a grown man. Well. Man-shaped creature."

"Right." Erik frowned, but then, there wasn't much he could do about it right now. "I'll text you an address shortly. It's one of the less frequented safehouses, so it's probably empty, but there's food and water and a place to sleep. If someone is already staying there, just tell them you're mutants and leave them be; they should return the favor."

"Right. Thanks." Tommy hesitated, only for a second but a significant while for him. "Ah. Just — can you —"

"I'll let everyone know that you're fine and will be coming home with your guest as soon as it is safe to do so. Yes, I will, and I won't even make you say it aloud." Stark didn't bother to suppress his snort. Not that Erik blamed him for trying to find some amusement in the very much not amusing situation. "If there is an emergency, dial your brother's number and let it ring once, and we'll come over to the safehouse. Unless that happens, though, I won't give the address to anyone else, so you won't have to worry about someone rushing in to drag you home."

"And why would I call Billy?"

"Because then we can be sure you only dialed because of an emergency, given that you haven't called him even once since you left the Tower." No, he hadn't spoken with Billy. He didn't need to, not to know this.

In some ways, they were far too similar.

"Right. Fair enough." Tommy paused, another fleeting moment that must have taken a lot of effort. "I'll, ah. I'll call if anything changes."

"And we will do the same." Erik paused. "The safehouse's medicine cabinet should include painkillers, though I would advise against them unless you know for certain what kind of a dose your metabolism can handle."

"I'd say something suitably sarcastic about your fussing, but actually, that sounds fucking fantastic right now." With that, Tommy ended the call.

"How is he?" As though Stark hadn't listened to every last word Erik said.

"Slightly injured, but otherwise fine. Refuses to come home until he's sure there isn't any further danger. I'm directing him to one of my less used safehouses in the meantime."

"Right." Stark paused, then with a somewhat grudging air added, "Thanks."

"For? He is a mutant in need. That is the sole reason why I have those safehouses in the first place." Erik was silent for a couple of steps. "Besides, he is precisely as much my grandson as he is your son."

"More, really. From what I've understood you might actually have some percentage of a genetic match if someone thought to test."

Erik's lips twitched. Oh, the scientific mind and its limitations. "Perhaps. And perhaps you would be surprised if you decided on a different test."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing, really." They were nearing the school, now, and Erik sent out a tentative thought, reaching for Charles. He still felt somewhat apprehensive about doing so, but this situation was serious enough to warrant putting his personal discomforts aside. "I just wonder if you've realized just what it means to have a reality warper call you father."

Stark opened his mouth, then shut it with a snap. Erik could almost hear the mess of thoughts running through his head right now.

"If it helps, I do not think either of your genetics have been altered." Not that it wouldn't have been interesting for Tony Stark of all people to suddenly exhibit mutant abilities. "Merely that if that is the reality he wants to reflect to the rest of the world, do you really think he would allow something as simple as a test in a laboratory prove him wrong?"

Stark hadn't answered by the time Erik's mind locked with Charles's and started weaving through the streams of worry anxiety relief determination fluctuating within, but then, he wasn't sure there was anything worth saying, anyway.

*

When Billy woke up, someone was petting his hair.

There was a faint murmur of voices in the background, the distinctive sound and vibration of being inside a car, the feel of someone's shoulder under his cheek. He blinked for a moment, trying to get his bearings.

"Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Tony gave him a faint grin from the opposite seat. "Feeling any better?"

"Whuh?" Billy blinked again, shifting a bit. He was in one of Tony's ridiculously large cars, leaning against someone's shoulder. A hand still petting his hair, an arm around him. Teddy, he realized, that was Teddy, familiar as ever. "Ugh. How long was I out?"

"A few hours." As he made to sit up properly, Teddy pulled him closer again. Well. It wasn't like he was complaining.

"You were rather wrung out." Steve attempted a smile next to Tony, but there was a hint of a frown on his face. "Teddy ended up carrying you into the car."

"My hero." Billy blinked slowly. "So, what? We're heading home?"

"For now, yes." Steve nodded. "SHIELD is handling the wrap-up, and the school is safe. Tony looked over their security, and nobody should be able to sneak in quite like that again."

"Turns out someone fucked with the system. That's why they didn't notice intruders until they almost got at the kids." Tony grimaced. "That wasn't entirely amateurish. Which just means we've got to shut these people down."

"But — everyone's all right?" He paused. "Tommy. Do we know —"

"He called." It wasn't until now that Billy realized Erik was in the car as well, seated next to him. He was going to blame his exhaustion for that. Exhaustion, and the fact that Teddy was far too distracting. "He's going to be hiding out in one of my safehouses until we can be certain the attackers have all been tracked down. Doesn't want anyone else put into danger for the sake of his guest."

"So he did have a Kree hidden away."

"It's more than that." Teddy's arm shifted around him. "Apparently he mentioned a certain name a couple of times when he called Erik."

"Noh-Varr." He didn't need to be told he was right. It was obvious enough.

"The name he mentioned was Noh, which I would assume is close enough." Erik's voice was calm as ever, but as Billy glanced over, there was definite tension in his expression. "Teddy mentioned you know this individual."

"Yes. Well, no. This probably isn't the same Noh-Varr we knew." And wasn't that just going to be a delight to figure out. "So, what? A Kree ship crashed, a version of Noh-Varr survived, Tommy found him and hid him away?"

"Apparently." Steve folded his arms across his chest. "Except a group that's hoping to capture super-powered individuals for experimentation took note of the ship crashing, and when they investigated this, they realized the place was full of young mutants."

"Which, let me tell you, is a whole delightful can of worms." Tony gave a deep sigh. "Well, at least now the kids are going to be fine. Charlie's agreement with Fury covers instances such as this, so there's going to be SHIELD guard at the school for the time being. We all want these people shut down, anyway."

"I hope they will be." Billy closed his eyes a bit tighter than necessary. "That's — that shouldn't happen." Experimentation. Noh-Varr. Teddy, Teddy, Teddy being treated like some damn lab rat, cut up for someone's twisted amusement.

"Nothing will happen." Teddy's voice was firm. "This isn't like before, Billy. We don't have much information yet, but this group doesn't seem to be big. Most of the men today were mercenaries; the actual organization is pretty small. We'll get all this weeded out in no time."

"I hope." Billy worried his lip, opening his eyes again. "Tommy's — he's all right?"

"So he insists." Erik's voice hinted toward his actual opinion on that. "For now, he has agreed to contact us if there is an emergency. If we hear nothing, I am to call him when we can be sure they are both safe."

"Good. That's good." Though he still wished he could have at least seen his brother for himself instead of just taking someone else's word for it. "I —" He was interrupted by a yawn, and blinked. "Huh. Guess I'm still tired."

"I'd say you've earned your rest, today." Tony gave him a faint smile. "Just go back to sleep. I'm sure Teddy won't mind carrying you to bed once we arrive."

"Right." He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. "I just wish..."

'I just wish Tommy was safe,' was what he meant to say, but then exhaustion claimed him again.

*

"Are you certain this is our intended destination?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy glanced at the street sign, then down at the map on his phone, and turned the corner. He understood Noh-Varr's frustration, he really did, but there was little he could do. He could only run fast if he knew where he was going, and at the moment he was somewhat lost. Yeah, tehy had the right neighbourhood, but finding the exact address was proving somewhat more challenging.

"I still suspect we should have taken that last street."

"What last street?" Damn, he was getting a headache. Which probably was due to not having eaten much of anything in several hours despite running around being kick-ass. Not that he couldn't handle it, obviously, he was great at this kind of shit, but he had to admit there was a certain appeal to the idea of finally getting to sit down and maybe even eat something.

"The one we passed by a little while ago. It wasn't very big, but it had a sign, so I presume it was a legitimate street."

"What?" He hadn't noticed anything, but then he wasn't paying much attention. "How long ago was that?"

"It diverged from the last road we were walking along. The name on the sign was not one I recognized, but it did seem like a place that would pass notice, which I suspect would be rather desirable for your grandfather's purposes."

"Well, clearly, if I didn't even notice it." Tommy sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes before putting the glasses back on. Yeah, definitely getting a headache. "Okay, let's go back and check. It'd be just like him to pick some kind of a special street nobody notices."

Noh-Varr frowned for some reason, but didn't say anything. Instead, he stuck close as Tommy turned around, heading back to the direction they had come from. Which was stupid, he was still injured and shouldn't have been walking around just because Tommy couldn't find one stupid street, but it probably would have looked weird as they were moving at a normal pace. They were probably conspicuous enough as it was, two guys with white hair and looking like they'd been dragged through a bush at some point.

He supposed it could have been worse. The neighborhood wasn't one of the really posh ones where they really would have stood out, nor was it somewhere he would have been worried walking through. It did hold a definite air of not giving a fuck what your neighbors did, which was only a bonus if you wanted a place where a lot of different people could pass in and out without drawing too much notice.

There actually was a street, just like Noh-Varr had said. Tommy had passed by without a thought, assuming it to be just some unnamed alley, and it certainly didn't seem big enough to be much else. However, it did have a sign on it, and as he looked in there was no sign of rats or heaps of trash. Instead, the alley-street gave into a small opening between the buildings, with precisely one door in sight.

"Okay, this definitely looks like the right place." He sighed, half in relief, half in exhaustion. "Now let's hope we can get in before my fucking legs give out." Noh-Varr frowned at that, not that Tommy could exactly blame him. However, he waved off any undue concern. "I'm fine. Will be fine. Just need a place to sit for a moment and I'll be right as rain."

"Very well." Even so, Noh seemed to be sticking a bit closer to him as they walked up to the door. "So, this is our destination."

"Sure seems like it." Keypad instead of a normal lock. Made sense; it was much more sensible than having a key hidden somewhere if you had a lot of people coming and going and the place sitting unoccupied for lengths of time. He looked at his phone again and made his way to Erik's message. There, the code.

There was a faint click as he punched in the code, and as he tried the door handle, it opened without complaint. Noh-Varr at his heels, he stepped into the still air of a place that hadn't been occupied for a while. Reaching for a light switch, he found the place lighting up.

There was a little hall, nothing extraordinary, with a hint of dust hanging about the place. A couple of doors, a staircase. Yeah, they could make it here for a little while.

"Okay, looks good." He waited for Noh to step inside, then pulled the door firmly shut after them. It clicked and locked. "First off, let's find some food. Then, bed."

"Very well." Noh glanced at him. "I believe we should also take another look at your wound."

"I told you, I'm fine. It's just a scratch." It wasn't, not really, he wasn't quite self-delusional enough to honestly call a bullet wound through his arm as a scratch, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. In any case, it hadn't hit any big arteries, and Noh had bandaged it up as soon as they had stopped. The guy wasn't a doctor, but he clearly knew something about first aid.

"I have seen the wound. I need to take a look at it."

"In that case you'd better hope there's a first aid kit somewhere around here, because you're not going to do much better with the shit we have."

"Understood." That was apparently Noh's que to go looking, as he rushed off somewhere. Tommy himself opted for the complicated option of opening the closest door.

He had apparently come across the kitchen, which was something of a relief. There was a small table and a couple of chairs, a fridge in the corner that was turned off. Made sense; there probably wasn't anything in there unless someone was actually staying for a while. The pantry in the opposite corner, however, was full of dry goods and canned food as Tommy opened it. Another welcome sight.

He dug around until he found a box of cookies and a few cans of coke. Not the healthiest of meals, but he couldn't muster up the energy to work on anything more complicated than that, and in any case he needed the sugar and caffeine. He'd made his way through a can and a half and a handful of the cookies when Noh returned, carrying a box marked with a cross.

"I recalled some of the medical supplies you had bore the same symbol." And, oh, right, he hadn't even explained what a first aid kit would look like. And still the guy had gone looking. Damn. "Now, let me see."

"You're not going to give up until I do, are you?" Tommy gave an exaggerated sigh, then pulled off his sweater, wincing as he did so. Yeah, painkillers would definitely be a good idea.

"You were wounded protecting me." And really, he was making it sound so much more heroic than it actually was. "Of course I am concerned."

"It'll be fine." He hoped. He dreaded to think of the lecturing he'd get from everyone if he showed up looking like this.

Then, it wasn't like he could go home just yet. Not unless he wanted there to be a lot more pain for all involved.

He sat still for longer than he had in a long while, letting Noh fuss over the wound. He did wince when Noh located a needle in the kit, but stayed still through sheer force of will. At least the bullet had gone clean through, so they didn't have to worry about getting it out. Which didn't mean he was going to enjoy the experience.

Noh moved fast, which he supposed was not too surprising. However, it was still an agonizing length of time, with needle and thread running through his skin. Tommy was torn between watching in morbid fascination and turning his attention to just about anything else. When he did look, he had to conclude it could have been worse. The stitches were neat enough, and he was tempted to ask where Noh would have found the experience to do such things.

"It was part of our basic survival training," Noh answered as he finally did ask, still focused on his task. "Because I was in the diplomatic corps, and was expected to visit different worlds. You see, in case we got stranded somewhere too primitive to have proper medical equipment."

Tommy couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I'm sorry we Earthlings are so very primitive." He glanced over to the doorway to the kitchen. "You turned off the lights in the hall?" Yay, another little bit of distraction.

"Yes. It did not seem good to draw too much attention to our presence." Noh frowned at another finished stitched. "I also left no lights on in the rest of the place, once I had figured out how to operate them."

"Good thinking." He closed his eyes for a moment. Something was nagging at him. Something —

Tommy's eyes snapped open. "Fuck." The hallway was dark, yes, with little light from the kitchen creeping out, Noh-Varr casting a shadow as he had placed himself right under the light to work. However, he could have sworn… "Something's here."

He saw it again, now, a hint of movement, and drew a sharp breath as the shadows seemed to gather themselves into something resembling a human. Something glinted among them, a pair of eyes perhaps, except the eyes were red.

"Well, well, well," said a smooth voice. "What have we here? Two little kittens all away from home?"

With languid steps, like a big cat still full and satisfied from its last meal, Remy LeBeau walked into the room.

Of course, that was when Tommy's body decided to finally rebel against any hint of good sense or necessity and fainted.

*

Tommy woke with a startle, coming back to himself all of a sudden. He tried to sit up, disoriented, but a hand on his shoulder pushed him right back.

"Calm, there, _mon ami_." A voice that was familiar but not, one that echoed memories of long ago. "I don't think it'd be good for you to get up yet."

"You — what — what are you doing?" He looked around wildly, trying to find evidence of a threat. Instead, he found Remy sitting in a chair next to the bed, an ankle over one knee, appearing quite relaxed. Noh-Varr was sitting on another bed, doing something on his alien tablet, but looked up at the sound of Tommy's voice.

"You fainted." Because he hadn't gathered that, yet. "Since you didn't wake up right away, we carried you to a bed. It appears you lost more blood than you thought. I have kept an eye on you." And on their companion, went unsaid.

"Nah, I'm just tired, that's all." His eyes snapped back to Remy. "What do you want?"

Remy lifted his hands, taking on an offended expression. "Hey, now. All I did was help your friend here get you to bed, since you clearly needed it. I do apologize for the startle, but really, that's all I am guilty of."

"I know you." Tommy's eyes narrowed. "You're up to no good, always have been."

"Really?" Remy's eyebrows shot up. "That's interesting, considering I do not think we have ever been introduced."

Right. Damn. Wrong person. "Sorry." Tommy sighed. His head was still aching, and he realized he hadn't ever gotten around to the painkillers. "Just — someone like you. Looked just like you. Tried to kill my brother." Well. Had been part of a mob who had thought it best to rid the world of Billy before Billy rid them of the world, or something.

"I suppose that would cause you to bear some ill will, but I promise you are quite safe." Remy dug out a deck of cards from somewhere, and God, how could he be so similar but not be the same. "Even if I had any inclination to hurt a child I never met before, which for all my sins I do not, that would be against the rules of the place."

"Rules." Right. Erik had said something about that, hadn't he? "This is a safe place."

" _Oui_. I will not raise my hand against you, except if it is in self-defense. I've heard stories of the one who oversees the rules, and I will not take the chance of crossing him. It is not a good way to survive long."

"Yeah, I know." A slightly hysterical chuckle escaped Tommy's lips. "He's my grandfather."

"Really, now." Remy lifted an eyebrow again, but otherwise his expression stayed the same. "And yet I do not get the impression you came here simply to honor him."

"Needed a safe place." Tommy groaned. "Fuck. I feel like hell."

"You certainly look like it." All of a sudden the cards were away, and instead Remy was offering him a glass of water and a couple of pills. "Will these help?"

"For a little bit, yeah." His body would burn through the normal dose in no time, but at least it would be a momentary relief. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, Mr. Stark."

This time it was Tommy's turn to raise his eyebrows as he sat up enough to take the pills without spilling water all over himself. "And you give me lip for saying I know you?"

"I am not the one with my face in the media. That hair with orange glasses is rather distinctive, and for all that I am a loner, I try to keep an eye on what's happening with the mutants." Remy paused. "I heard about your campaign for mutant-friendly establishments."

"I do what I can." Which at the moment consisted of some web presence and sending stickers to whoever requested them, though he hadn't had the time to actually market them anywhere outside Westchester. Too busy with the kids, and Noh-Varr. "I get my share of assholes, and at least I don't look obviously like a mutant to the naked eye."

"Unlike me, _oui_?" The red eyes were rather sharp, but there was a smirk playing at Remy's lips. "Yes, I know how people can be to those who look different. Not many opportunities for those like us."

"The world's always going to have assholes." Tommy made a face. "I'm not claiming I can change them all, but if I can get the word out there, hey, I'll do what I can. Even if it's just talking until I'm blue in the face."

"Yes. You are not the wizard of the family, as I understand."

"Not a wizard." It wasn't a big point, but, hey, he could just as well make it. "Billy's a witch, not a wizard. And definitely not a warlock, he doesn't like that one at all. Apparently there's a big difference."

"Oh?" Remy's eyebrows rose even higher. "And do you have any idea what the difference is?"

"Honestly? I haven't a clue." Tommy shrugged, then winced as the small gesture jostled his arm.. "But believe me, when a guy who can put a blown-up building back together tells me to call him a witch, I'm not stupid enough to argue."

There was a beat of silence, and then Remy's lips twitched. "And with that, _mon ami_ , I believe you have found the most important distinction."

"Oh? You got much experience with magic, then?"

"Oh, _non_. Mere superstition, that is all, though I have my beliefs of how to keep my luck from running out."

"And fast fingers aren't enough for that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." And yet, Remy was smirking.

"Please. You made references to past sins and mentioned how those who look different don't have the best opportunities. And here you are, hiding out in a safehouse. You can't tell me you've always striven to be a moral, upstanding citizen."

"A sharp one, are we?" Remy's lips twitched. "Perhaps I have been known for my fast fingers once or twice. Though I assure you, your meager belongings are quite safe from me. I'm not quite so badly off as to rob a couple of wounded gazelles at a watering hole, never mind that it would also go against the rules."

"Right." Tommy paused. "So, hey. We're probably going to stay here a while. You?"

"Depends." Remy shrugged, a calculating look in his eyes. "I have very little in the way of long-term plans. Why?"

"We're going to need some help." Tommy grimaced. "Nothing big. Just, you know. Someone to help with cooking until I can get my feet under me, because seriously, I'm still starving. Shout if someone tries to break down the door. That sort of thing."

"And what would be in it for me?"

"I'll get you a job." That at least got him a surprised blink. So the man wasn't entirely unflappable after all. "Somewhere nobody's going to look at you weird for having strange eyes and fast fingers or for needing to brood every now and then. All mutants, plenty to do, all legal. I'm pretty sure I can throw in a clean record for the hell of it, so you don't have to worry about anyone chasing you down. Not that they'd let anyone get at you, they can be a pretty protective bunch."

"Now, that is a rather tempting offer for a poor old thief like myself." Remy's eyes flashed. "What is the catch, then?"

Despite the lingering pain, Tommy found his lips taking on a smirk. "You ever tried teaching?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week after the attack at the Institute, the Avengers have returned to their usual lives despite the still lingering lack of Tommy. However, while Billy faces the dread of high school finals, his brother puts his thinking skills to a much harder test when Pepper is held hostage.

Billy was going to be sick any moment now.

He couldn't even say it was ridiculous of him to be so nervous, not really. Rather, this was the one normal feeling he'd had in a while, the kind that most people his age were supposed to be familiar with. His life was usually filled with another kind of fears, the dread of facing an enemy, of seeing his loved ones being put in harm's way as he struggled to help them. That was the kind of fear he knew all too well, the kind that he shouldn't have ever encountered, not if he'd been more sensible.

The fear of exams, now, that was somewhat more along the lines of things he was supposed to be feeling.

It was ridiculous, really. Everything was going to go well. He'd studied long and hard, knew he could handle this. Perhaps he wouldn't ace everything, but he would certainly pass, and that was the important thing. Just get through the exams, and then he could at least say he had finished high school, like a normal person.

How could something so simple be so absolutely terrifying?

It was just nerves, he knew that much. It wasn't like it would be some kind of a catastrophe even if he failed. He'd just have to retake whatever he did fail, and he was sure the Institute would be quite flexible about that. Really, all he could lose would be a few hours of his time. It wasn't even like anyone was going to be all disappointed; Teddy still didn't know of his plans, and everyone else was proud of him simply for trying. He could have just forgotten about it and walked away, like Tony had pointed out, and that he was working to do it was a triumph in itself. At least that was what he tried to tell himself.

It was early in the morning, just before the first classes started, and the majority of the students were still in the dining hall getting breakfast. Billy thus didn't see many people as he walked down the corridor behind Anna Marie, but the distant sounds of voices and footsteps assured him that the place was as full of life as ever.

He couldn't help but glance out of a window in the passing. The garden still bore some marks of the battle, but most of it had been cleaned up by now. You almost couldn't have told that something so big had happened just a week earlier, with the school already back on normal schedule. The only sign besides some disturbed lawn that anything was amiss were the occasional glimpses of SHIELD personnel scattered around the grounds, serving as lookouts in case anyone suspicious tried to get in.

A week, and they still hadn't caught the rest. Billy had to keep telling himself this was SHIELD's area of expertise, and he had no reason to be frustrated even as the team got back to their normal lives. SHIELD was working, they wanted these guys caught as badly as they did, and until they succeeded Tommy would be safe and sound.

That was the only thing he could allow himself to think.

"Here we go." Anna Marie stopped in front of a door, opening it. "You said you'd rather not be all alone, so you'll be in the same room as some of our students doing their own exams. You'll do one subject at a time, but you can pick the order yourself. We'll have breaks whenever the class changes, and lunch at the midpoint, so it won't be too terrible."

"I hope not." It felt almost absurd, walking into a classroom, clutching a pencil case. Hank nodded at him from behind a desk. There was a thick stack of papers in front of him, along with a row of thinner stacks, each titled with the name of a single subject.

"I'll be supervising a biology exam here soon. You can get started on your first subject if you want, if it won't disturb you that I'm going to say a couple of words to the kids at the start."

"Ah. Sure, that's fine." Billy looked over the papers, then snatched the one titled English. He was good with words, always had been. Better get the easy stuff out of the way.

"Oh, and Billy?" Hank spoke up as Billy turned to go take a seat, and he glanced back. "I know you won't be taking a Mutant Studies exam, since that's not exactly standard curriculum and frankly you probably know more than most of us do, but Kurt was wondering if you'd mind giving a little demonstration at the start of his class's exam. All the kids with energy projection are having a practical test of fine control, you see, and he thought you would be a good example."

"Sure, that'd be fun." He'd probably need the chance to let out some nervous energy, anyway. Not that he was entirely hopeful about his ability to be a good example of any kind of control before today was over. If he could make it through the day without levitating any desks, he'd count it as a victory.

Calm down, Billy. The worst that could happen was failing an exam. Nothing bad. Nothing permanent.

Nothing worthy of the dread he couldn't help but feel.

*

"This isn't right." And wasn't it just their luck that the would-be hostage holders actually had the gall to complain about their treatment. "You're only supposed to go after people with powers!"

"Yeah. And you only work in New York!" And honestly, what was this? Thugs Mouthing Off Day?

"First off, we have never actually said we're just for such occasions," Steve said, appearing quite calm as he watched the SHIELD agents showing up to clean up the mess. "We go where we are needed; that's the only limit we have ever drawn on our activities, especially when it's been a slow week. And secondly, you sure as hell seemed to be doing your best to make it appear you were, indeed, super-powered."

"Which happens to be something we take a somewhat dim view at in any case," Tony cut in, grinning as he looked at the captured criminals. He would have leaned against a wall, but there wasn't one right there at the moment and in any case it would have been somewhat awkward with his suit in the way. "The actual superpowered people have enough problems as it is without your kind screwing with the public perception."

"Besides, it gives us the chance to try out our new toys." Clint was smirking, fiddling with one of his arrows. "The new trap arrows worked pretty great, by the way."

"Of course they did. I designed them, after all." Though he had gotten some help from Peter's little web fluid formula. Yes, the kid got paid for it. Hell, Tony had personally helped him file for a patent. He was a rather big believer in intellectual property, especially the kind that could turn out to be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Dangerous, like the web itself. It seemed so innocuous at a first glance, good for restraining and some rather daring transport and that was it. Except it would have been so very easy to use it to restrain someone and then suffocate them, watching the victim struggle helplessly as their air ran out, secure in the knowledge that all evidence would be long gone by the time the forensics got there. This was the stuff horror movies were made of.

He wondered if the boy himself had ever considered that. He had to have, he was too smart not to. And yet he went out every day, used it to bring crooks to justice and then headed home, sleeping as soundly as could ever be possible for someone who had seen as much shit as he had.

Steve was about to say something, looking amused, when all semblance of a smile was wiped off his face at the sound of JARVIS's voice cutting into the comm line. It was never good news when JARVIS decided to bypass Tony's private line and speak directly to the entire team.

"Sir?" JARVIS sounded almost worried, and that was never a good thing no matter how proud it made Tony of his abilities. "Sir, I'm afraid there is a crisis back in New York."

"Oh?" Tony frowned, snapping his visor down to get a visual feed. "What's up?"

"A hostage situation at the Potts Tower, Sir."

"What?" Steve's voice echoed through Tony's ears in shock, but there was no time to worry about that.

"Right. I'm the fastest, I'll head there right now. The rest of you," he waved at Steve, Clint, and Natasha who returned from conferring with some poor SHIELD bastards at the alert, "get in the jet. Is there anyone who can get there before me?"

"Teddy's with Bruce meeting that science buddy of his, since you feared it might be a military trap," Steve said, and Tony caught the sound of running feet in the background as the rest headed toward the jet. Tony himself took off to the sky, not wasting any time. "And Billy's at Xavier's to take his final exams."

"Right." Tony grimaced. "Well, we'll leave him as a final resort, then, we promised not to interrupt that if we can help it. Thor?"

"Diplomatic shit at the UN," Clint filled in. "I'm sure he'd love to get an excuse to leave, but at the moment he's supposed to be all high and mighty and Asgardian for a bunch of people in stuffy suits."

"Of course." Why did everything always happen at once? "Kate? Where's Kate?"

This time the one who answered was JARVIS, and that more than anything made Tony shiver. "I'm afraid Miss Kate informed me earlier she was heading to the Potts Tower to meet with Miss Pepper."

"Oh, Hell." It was always refreshing to hear Steve curse. Not because Tony thought he wasn't capable of it, no, but because he always managed to put such heartfelt emotion into it. "Wait, is Erik there? He could help, right?"

"Unfortunately he took the opportunity to visit the Xavier Institute alongside Master Billy."

"Any other teams?" Yeah, he was kind of getting desperate now. "Spider-Man? Hell, I'll take the Fantastic Four, even."

"According to live news footage, Spider-Man and his team are currently battling Electro." Natasha, this time, from back in the jet. "The Four are holding a PR event that is expected to last at least another hour."

"Well, of course. Too busy smiling for the cameras to do any actual hero work." He needed to get there faster, but there was only so fast the suit could fly. "Isn't there anyone who can get there before me?" He couldn't be too late. Couldn't.

"I'll do it." The voice cutting in was familiar, but it still managed to startle Tony.

"Tommy?" He blinked. "What the — how are you even linked in?"

"I've tinkered with pretty much all of your comm systems by now, you really think I couldn't get patched in?" Well. Tony supposed he had a point there. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Tommy, we don't know much about the situation. You can't go running in blind all alone." Sometimes Tony absolutely hated it when Steve made sense.

"Get Tony to hack into the security system, that should give you a view." And, right, that, there was that, he was going to get JARVIS right to work on that. "Besides, I'm not alone."

"Okay, that's a good idea, but if there actually is a bad situation you're not going to make much of a difference with one injured Kree." Tony frowned as JARVIS obediently got to work on accessing the cameras at the Potts Tower. Too slow, always too slow. He wondered if this was what life felt like for Tommy.

"Correction: one mostly recovered Kree with super strength, super speed, and wall-climbing skills to rival Spider-Man's." Tommy paused, and Tony could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "That, and a mutant with kinetic explosives and martial arts. That counts for something, right?"

"We're through," JARVIS informed, and Tony sighed in relief as security camera feeds popped up on his HUD. Then he cursed as he realized just what they showed. Pepper was there, and she was just fine, but that might not be the case for long. Not if he went by the sight of a couple of thugs holding her at gunpoint.

Had to be faster.

"Tony?" Kate's voice surprised him. "Tony, thank God, I thought nobody was in range. We've got kind of a problem here."

"Yeah, we got alerted to that. I'm actually not properly in range, I just patched myself through to the systems there." He swallowed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm holed up in Erik's office at the moment. Don't think they realized I'm here, yet. They're holding Pepper at the helipad, though."

"Yes, I can see that." Do not panic. Do not panic. "Anything you can do?"

"Not right now. I do have my bow and found a window that opens, but they're pretty close to her, and there are two of them. I can't get a shot I dare to take. I think a third one is holding Darcy inside, too."

"Any idea of how they got there? Or what they want?"

"They posed as businessmen coming in for a meeting. They —" She drew a deep breath. "They demand that we hand over 'the alien and his protector.'"

"Tommy." Steve's voice cut through the frozen dread that filled Tony's mind. "Tommy, did you hear that? You can't —"

"Heard it loud and clear, Cap." The smirk was still there, Tony could tell, but it had taken on a rather mirthless tone, now. "Sounds to me like an invitation." Then, before any of them could cut in, he dropped off the line.

"Well, fuck." This time, not even Steve's cursing made him feel any better.

Nothing could have made him feel better about this.

*

"I have to say, it feels almost wrong to just walk in like this." Remy was looking around, the wary gaze of one who anticipated a need to bolt at any moment. Tommy couldn't exactly blame him. He felt a kind of perverse calmness, himself, walking through the lobby while everyone around them was panicking. Someone in a security uniform made to get closer, perhaps to stop them, then stopped as they recognized Tommy. That didn't mean they didn't give a wary gaze at his companions, but hey, he'd deal with that later.

"Yeah, well, one of the benefits of being related to the owner." Tommy paused. "Well. Having a father fucking the owner."

"Don't you have a way with words." Remy snorted as Tommy halted in front of the right elevator, following him in as the doors opened. "Soon you'll probably tell me just why I agreed to something this crazy."

"Because I promised you a nice, big reward and the possibility of a steady job where nobody's going to wonder about your eyes?" Tommy waited until Noh was in as well before pressing for the doors to close, pressing the button for the floor with Pepper's office. The panel underneath the keypad lit up, and he pressed his palm against it, waiting for it to get scanned. A moment later the panel went dark again, and the elevator started to move, whirring quietly.

"I'm starting to wonder if all that is worth this amount of trouble." Even so, Remy leaned against a wall, feigning non-chalance even though he had to be as tense as Tommy himself. He looked so much like the old Gambit it almost made him ache, even if he'd never particularly gotten along with the original guy, but then staying at the Institute for so long had pretty much numbed him to the weirdness of seeing people he had thought lost forever.

"A Stark offers you a reward and you wonder if it's worth it? Most people would sign over their morals at that." Tommy rolled his eyes. "You're a demanding one."

"I just prefer not to take unnecessary risks. It's kept me alive this far."

"Hey, if you're not in, you can just stay in the elevator. We'll do this by ourselves."

"What, and watch you kids get killed all alone? I'm a thief, not a total bastard." Remy's eyes flicked towards Noh. "You probably think this is a brilliant plan, huh?"

"On the contrary." Noh was frowning, but, hey, people frowning at Tommy had never stopped him before. "I think this is idiotic and will likely lead to rather unfortunate consequences. However, I also think that if I declined to take part, he would simply go in alone."

"Damn right I would." Nevertheless, he took the time to brush his fingers against Noh's arm. It wasn't much, but he figured some reminder that they were both still there and in one piece would be appreciated anyway. "So. Once we get out of the elevator, it's silence until we've found Darcy. Kate said one thug was holding her hostage inside, we need to make sure she's safe before we proceed, and we can't alert the guy to our presence."

"And what is the plan once we do locate the damsel in distress?"

"Make use of our superior speed and skills as well as the fact that we should outnumber the guy three to one." All of which would hopefully be enough. He would never hear the end of it if he let someone else get hurt because of his plans.

Getting himself hurt was another matter, but then, it was too late to avoid that right now. His arm was on fire as it was.

The elevator came to a stop at last, thankfully silent as it did so. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss, and for a moment Tommy thought they might come face to face with a villain, but instead he saw an empty hall.

Amateurs.

He moved quietly now, vaguely aware that Remy and Noh-Varr were both trailing after him. They padded along the fine carpet, pausing at the edge of the door to Pepper's office. Once they got there they'd have a door to the helipad, which was apparently where all the action was at, but the office had to be cleared first.

Luck was on their side, as when Tommy peeked through the doorway, he found himself staring at a gunman's back. Scratch amateurs, these guys were idiots. Idiots with frightening levels of competence, given that they'd gotten this far, but then that was always the most dangerous combination.

Darcy was there, just like Kate had said she would be. She looked angry, which was a good sign; she probably wasn't too badly hurt if she could spare the the energy for anger. And ranting, as it turned out. Because of course she would rant while a madman held her at gunpoint.

"This is such a terrible plan, I'm ashamed for you guys." Darcy clicked her tongue, hands on her hips. "Honestly, what do you hope to accomplish? Do you actually think the Avengers will negotiate with you?"

"They don't have much of a choice, now do they?" The guy almost looked sophisticated, dressed in a fine suit. Made sense, if they had indeed pretended to be coming in for a business meeting. "Not if Stark wants his little girlfriend back with her head still intact."

"First, Pepper will kill you for calling her that, just so you know. And second, are you an actual idiot? You're telling Tony Stark to choose between his son and his partner? That's only going to end in tears and charred corpses. He's not exactly known for forgiving his enemies."

"If he tries anything, it's the end of the road for Miss Potts."

"Okay, this is just embarrassing. It's bad enough that I'm being held hostage by homicidal amateurs, but idiots as well? You won't do that. You know why? Because the moment Pepper is hurt, you'll have signed your own death warrants. Tony's going to be here soon enough, and if Pepper's so much as chipped her nails, they'll be scraping you off the walls. And that's if you're lucky and Tony gets here before Wiccan."

Tommy stepped forward, just a little movement, enough to alert her to their presence. Her eyes met his for a moment, then slid right on. Clever girl.

"Boy, I hope I'll be here to see when that happens. He doesn't exactly take well to people threatening his precious brother, you know. You're going to be begging for mercy soon enough, not that he's going to give a shit about what you say. I mean, seriously? Holding Pepper Potts hostage in the middle of New York City? This is pretty much assisted suicide. Suicide by hero? Works for me."

Tommy was about to move when someone stepped past him, silent steps, one, two. Darcy's eyes widened a fraction, but either the bad guy didn't notice or didn't have time to react. At least he didn't say anything before Remy's staff hit his head with a rather satisfying sound.

"Now, that? Was either terrifying or hot," Darcy said as she watched her would-be attacker crumble to the ground. "Or possibly both. I'm not entirely sure just yet, I'm kind of in a shock, here, but then that's probably forgiveable after going through such an ordeal, right? I swear, I'm never leaving home without my taser again, no matter what Pepper says. Screw work-appropriate, clearly it would have come in handy here."

"Pretty sure gun trumps taser, but other than that, a good idea." Tommy walked forward, now, Noh at his side. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine. He didn't do anything except act all tough and threatening. I think they just kept me as a hostage here so nobody'd try to get to Pepper's aid." Her lips twitched. "Worked wonders for them, clearly."

"Yeah, it kind of helps that these people are clearly idiots." Tommy glanced at Remy. "You can make sure there's nobody else lurking around here, right?"

"Oui. I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to snoop every corner in such a fine place." Remy gave him a grin with quite a lot of teeth. "I'll even make sure the young lady is all safe and sound."

"Just look out, she wasn't kidding about the taser. And I'll bet she actually has one hidden at her desk even if Pepper's told her not to keep one on her person."

"Okay, wait." Darcy frowned. "You can't mean you're the only ones here?"

"Tony's on his way, a few others are in a jet after him. And Kate's upstairs, from what I understand." He ached to go check on her, needed to see her and hold her, but there was no time for that. "There's no time to wait for rescue to arrive."

"But you can't go out there." What, and now she was protesting? "You're exactly what they want!"

"Indeed. Which means they should have no trouble letting Pepper go, right?" Tommy gave her a crooked smirk, then dug into his pocket. "Okay, no more silent treatment." He put on his comm link piece and switched it to the usual frequency. "Kate? You here?"

"Tommy? You idiot, I'm going to skin you alive once this is over with."

"Oh, baby, you're making me blush." He motioned for Noh to follow him, walking closer to the doors to the helipad. One of the villains was still aiming a gun at Pepper, the other was speaking into a cell phone. Neither of them seemed to have noticed the commotion at the office. "I'm in Pepper's office right now, Noh's with me. Darcy's safe, and we've got Gambit covering the office so nobody creeps up on us." This gained him a raised eyebrow from Remy, but he ignored it. This wasn't the time to start explaining. "You're all right up there, aren't you? You armed?"

"I'm fine. The place is empty, and I don't think they can see me from down there even if they were faced the right way. I've got my bow and quiver, but that's it."

"Great. Okay. Listen, I've got a plan, all right? And I need you to work with me, except obviously I can't give instructions once we're out there. So I just need you to listen to me and understand."

"That's a lot to ask of a girl." He could hear her frown in her voice. "Tommy. What are you planning to do?"

"Oh, usual procedure, you know. Get the civilian safe, kick some bad guy ass. You'll see soon enough." Or so he certainly hoped. "I'll keep the link open, but no direct talk from now on. We're about to step into view." Then, before she could protest, he pushed the door open and stepped out, raising his voice. "Hey, you idiots. Is that any way to treat a lady?"

There was a gun immediately pointed his way, and Tommy lifted his arms, wincing as he did so. Okay, maybe he'd let a doctor look him over once all this was done with. "Oi, calm down, there. You want a hostage exchange, right? Well, you've got what you wanted. Time to let the lady go."

"Tommy." Pepper was awfully pale, he noticed as he walked closer, but she still managed to glare at him as though he'd been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Negotiating with terrorists. Which, yeah, I know it's against standard procedure, but right now it seems like the best way of getting anywhere." Noh was by his side, arms likewise raised, constantly poised for action.

"I hope for your sake you actually have a plan, or I'll kill you myself when I get there." This time it was Tony's voice in his ear, crackling over the comm. Tommy grinned and turned his eyes to the criminals.

"Okay, guys, here's the deal. You want to trade Pepper for us, fine. We're here, all unarmed and stuff. We're going to walk over there, and Pepper is going to walk over here, and if you even think about harming her you're going to have a bullet through your skulls before you can blink." Which wasn't strictly true, he had never seen Kate handle a gun outside a range, but mentioning arrows would have given away too much.

"You think you're in any position to make threats?" One of the villains put away his phone, scowling at him. They were also dressed in suits, which wasn't exactly surprising if they'd come in as business people. "We've clearly got the upper hand here."

"Oh, yes. You're here, stranded on a helipad who knows how far up a tower. If you think there isn't currently a team assembling the floor below us, you've got to be delusional. So, really, if you hope to live long enough for your buddies to pick you up or whatever, you'd better do as we say. Two hostages is always better than one, right?" They had to have a helicopter waiting, somewhere nearby. That was the only way they could have hoped to make their way out. "Come on. Every moment you spend thinking is another moment closer to the rest of the Avengers blasting in, and when that happens, you're not going to be happy. Or, well, much of anything."

"Not a step closer." A gun was shoved in his direction, and he froze in the middle of the step. "Don't think I'm going to let you anywhere near me."

"Oh, come on. We're both injured, you've got guns. You really think we're going to try anything?" Tommy nodded toward Pepper, his arms still raised. "Let her go and we won't have trouble."

The bad guys glanced at each other, then the one pointing a gun at Pepper nodded at her. She started inching away, slowly at first, then as fast as she could manage in her heels, which was frankly impressive. The guy turned to point his gun at Noh, the other still aiming at Tommy.

Okay. One obstacle out of the way.

"You're really too kind, coming all the way here to offer yourself up." The man sneered. "I've got to say, our boss isn't too pleased with you right now."

"Good. I make it my life's mission to displease bastards like you." Tommy smirked. "What exactly do you think you're going to accomplish, here? Even if you manage to spirit us away, they're going to track us down. Hell, Billy can do it with one spell, and once that happens you'll be happy to be dirty little stains on the wall, because he could do so much more."

"We just want the alien." And no, he did not like the way the man looked at Noh. "What do you care what we intend to do?"

"Oh, I do. Just because he wasn't born here doesn't mean he's not a fucking person. Not an US citizen, maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you cut him up or whatever it is you plan."

"Too bad we're not asking you." He heard the sound of a helicopter in the distance, now. Well. At least they were organized. The men moved toward the edge of the helipad, clearing way for the landing, motioning for Tommy and Noh to move as well. They kept their distance, a clear patch of ground between them.

"Oh, but I'd so love to talk about my own plans. They're so much more fun and much less sadistic." Talk, Tommy, talk, that's what you do best isn't it? "I'm thinking of taking him home. Forge some papers for him, maybe, so SHIELD won't come knocking. Then I'll keep him in bed because, damn, have you seen that ass? I've seen many a fine ass in my time, but that one's a wonder. I'm not going to let that get captured by someone who can't properly appreciate it. Yeah, sure, he's got all kinds of funky DNA and whatnot, but clearly all that is secondary."

"So the rumors about your little break-up are true." And what was this, villains reading tabloids, now?

"What? Oh, no. I'm too selfish to let go of Katie just because I found a great piece of alien ass." Listen, Kate. Listen and understand. "I'm thinking of suggesting a little alternative arrangement. You know, just like daddy dearest. I'm sure Kate can be persuaded, she does love a fine pair of legs."

"Oh, we know the value of your legs. Which is why we plan to examine just how they work."

"Sounds painful." Sounds like something he'd already lived through, and damn, he was not doing that again. "Seriously, though, you actually thought I'd leave Kate? I'm disappointed. I thought it was a public secret that I lust after her with all my rotten heart but am too much of a scroundel to ever admit it aloud." His eyes flickered to the side, too fast for the men to even notice, and he saw movement in the upper windows. Good. So she was listening. "But, hey, you're clearly idiots, so why am I even surprised? Not that it matters, since we're planning to blow this joint soon enough. No bad blood between us, just smoke and explosions." He turned his face, now for a full second that felt like much longer, and despite the distance he liked to think he was looking Kate directly in the eye. "What do you say, love?"

Please listen. Please understand.

Please forgive.

He saw the arrow leave the bowstring, calculated the trajectory faster than the arrow could follow it, traced every inch of its way through the air with his eyes. Even so, he managed to hold himself back, not reacting until the others could see it, too, grasping Noh-Varr and leaping aside mere moments before the arrow hit the ground. There was an explosion, a small one but still, with tiny chunks of concrete flying every which way, but that was fine, it was all fine, he had Noh and the bad guys were swearing and then there was no ground under his feet anymore.

He was hurtling through the air, toward the ground so far down below. Noh-Varr disappeared from his grasp at some point, and looking up he could see the alien clinging to the side of the building, one arm reached after him with little actual effect. It was fine, though, it was all fine, Noh was obviously safe and it was just him who was falling, watching the floors of the Potts Tower count by in almost sickening slow-motion. There were sounds from above, too, the deep, deafening roar of things said far too slow for his ears to make any sense of them, but he didn't care, couldn't have responded even if he had cared to do so. He was falling, falling, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Not that he needed to, anyway. The ground would take care of that.

He had never claimed his plan was a particularly good one.

*

Kate felt numb.

There was movement down below. The villains had not yet recovered from the explosion as they were startled by a series of new ones, Gambit rushing out to the helipad with his cards flying — Gambit, it really was Gambit, what the hell had Tommy been doing? — with Tower security following shortly after, doubtless alerted by Pepper. They were taken down in moments, heavily armed people flocking them from all sides. Some of them started to threaten Gambit when Pepper and Darcy rushed out, calming them down with assurances of his innocence, but all this only registered in some distant part of Kate's mind.

Her hand still clutched her bow, her arms frozen in shooting position. It took a great force of will to lower it, slowly, slowly.

She still felt the arrow at her fingertips, the pull of the bowstring, her muscles fighting against it. Almost as though she hadn't let go at all.

"Kate, what the fuck?" Tony's voice was harsh in her ear, the barely concealed panic and anger reflecting her own. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"He asked me to." He had, hadn't he? "It's — he wanted me to act. That's why he said —" That's why he asked what she thought. Because he never asked her that, never, not unless he absolutely had to. That had been the signal, and he had talked about blowing, clearly he'd wanted an explosive, that had to be but then why —

"He asked you to blow him up? Funny, I didn't hear anything like that. Christ, woman, I get being jealous but that's no fucking reason to try and murder him —"

Tony went on with his tirade, but Kate didn't hear anything else, closed him out because she was too busy listening to the accusations echoing inside her own head. No, there had been no trying. She had killed Tommy, plain and simple. Perhaps she hadn't hit him, but it was because of her that he had fallen, and that made it her fault.

The chaos down on the helipad was starting to calm down, and Kate fell on her knees, the bow dropping down to the floor. She leaned towards the window, almost enough to fall through, desperately seeking for any sign, anything that would give her some hope. Anything —

There was a hint of white at the edge of the helipad, and she felt a spike of hope in her chest. However, it was crushed just as quickly as she saw Noh-Varr jumping up to solid ground, looking around wildly. He was alone.

He hadn't caught Tommy.

Tony's voice was still going on somewhere far away, growing increasingly more pained and desperate, but the only response Kate could summon up was a choked sob. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Tommy had had a plan, he had said so, had asked her to listen, to go along. She hadn't misunderstood, she didn't think she had, except perhaps she didn't understand Tommy as well as she had thought, not anymore, after so long apart —

Noh-Varr had disappeared from the helipad, the hint of white away, and she closed her eyes. There was nothing there she wanted to see, nothing she could bear to see. If she looked, she just might find herself putting an arrow into one of the criminals now that they were securely captured, and that wasn't something she was going to allow herself to do.

No matter what she had already done.

She heard someone moving behind her, but didn't move. It wasn't until she heard Darcy's voice calling for her that she opened her eyes again, slowly turning to look.

"Kate?" Darcy hesitated in the doorway. She must have ran up the emergency stairs that connected the two floors, still slightly out of breath. "Kate, I'm sorry but — he wanted to see you, and —"

"What?" She blinked as Noh-Varr appeared in the doorway. It really was him, too, a bit younger than the one they had fought but still recognizable enough, even dressed in what she knew to be some of Tommy's clothes, and oh God she was going to cry again.

"Kate Bishop." Noh stepped closer, sounding very serious. "I need your assistance."

"With what?" She couldn't help the bitter tone of her voice. "It's clear enough I'm not exactly any good at helping people."

"The people here do not know me, and I do not know how to deal with them. Darcy has promised to authorize the elevator for us, but I need you to help me with the people."

"What people? Pepper's already got security on it." Doing what should have been done, without any casualties.

"Up here, yes. But I suspect there is some chaos down on the street."

Kate froze, then felt sick. "No," she whispered. "No, I can't, that's —"

"Kate." Darcy was in front of her all of a sudden, kneeling down. "Listen, it's not what you think. At least, we don't think it is, it's —"

"Not what I think?" She was struggling to get the words out. "So, tell me. What did he just ask me to do, if not to come along to scrape my fucking boyfriend's remains off the pavement?"

"You know better than that." Noh-Varr's voice was quiet, calm. "You know, even if you don't remember. If you hadn't known, you would not have taken the shot."

"What is this absolutely miraculous thing that I know but don't, then?" She hadn't thought when she loosed the arrow, she must not have, if she had taken even a second to consider she never would have taken that risk with Tommy right at the edge, not when he could fall and hit the ground and —

Kate froze again, then got up to her feet in an instant. "God, I'm an idiot."

"You are not an idiot, merely in shock." Noh-Varr extended his hand, and she took it without thinking, rushing along toward the elevator. Darcy stumbled after them, murmuring something under her breath that didn't sound too flattering.

Of course. Noh-Varr was right, she had known better. She had known that she could take the shot without risk, had known exactly what she was doing, even if the shock of seeing Tommy fall over the edge had made her forget. Perhaps there hadn't been time for her to consider the full implications, but that didn't matter, not when she had known it so deep in her bones that conscious thought was hardly required.

"I would take you along the wall, but I am still not in my full strength," Noh-Varr explained as they reached the elevator. "I would not wish to take that risk. This should, however, be fast enough for our purposes."

"It'll have to do." She still felt vaguely sick, but at least she wasn't about to throw up right this second.

"Kate?" Tony's voice cut in again, and it wasn't until now that she realized he had trailed off at some point. "Kate, what the fuck is going on?"

"He's alive." Kate couldn't help the slightly hysterical tone of her voice, leaning against the wall of the elevator as the doors closed after them and Noh-Varr punched the button for the ground floor, Darcy looking after them. "Tommy. He's alive."

"Unless he suddenly developed the power of flight, he can't be, not after a fall like that."

"It's a fall, though. Inertia. And this is Tommy." How could she have forgotten? "He fell several floors from the roof to the helipad the day he left, and he was fine. It's his feet, his feet and legs, they're designed to withstand the pressure of pushing against the ground hard enough to get him up to speed."

"There's still a bit of a difference between a few floors and the whole damn Tower." Even so, she could hear a hint of hope entering Tony's voice.

"There is, and it'd be too much even for him. If everything was the same, that is." Kate closed her eyes tight, wiping away the tears that still tried to fall. "Not if he's sped up, though."

"His body speeds up, too, to match his movements." Realization dawned in Tony's voice. "So that means —"

"Yes. That means he'd be even more durable, to handle the larger forces involved. The time it takes for him to fall from the Tower is more than enough for him to get himself in the right position, to speed up enough. And he would have known. He must have known, he planned all this."

There was a hand at her shoulder. Noh-Varr, she knew without even looking. It wasn't quite the same as Tommy's, but she didn't shrug it off, either. She still needed a bit of support, here.

"Fuck. I'm going to ground him until he's forty for this. I swear, I'm going to look like Richards before I get there, with all the grey hairs he's giving me." Even so, she could tell Tony was on the verge of laughing aloud. "Damn. He's even more insane than I thought, and you too, for going along with his schemes."

"Of course I'm insane." And now, she managed a small chuckle. "You think I'd have chosen to date a Stark otherwise?"

"Fair point, that. Let me know how he is, okay? I need to update Cap and the rest for now."

"Will do." She waited for him to drop off the line, then slowly opened her eyes. Noh-Varr was looking at her with some weird mix of curiosity and apprehension. "So." He straightened himself, snapping to attention. "How much of what Tommy said was true?"

"What do you mean?"

"What he babbled out there, about his own plans. About how he was going to bring you into our relationship."

"I honestly do not know." Noh-Varr shook his head. "We have not discussed any such thing, though I like to think we have grown close over the time we have spent together."

"Right." She paused. "I've got to say, I never thought I'd be in danger of losing him to a guy."

"That will not happen." The serious tone of his voice surprised her a bit. "He would no leave you, not for me or anyone else. I have heard him talk about you often enough to know that much."

"Well, we'll just have to ask the idiot himself, don't we?" The elevator had never moved so slow, she was absolutely certain of that. Never so painfully slow.

As the elevator reached the ground floor, Kate was out as soon as the doors slid open. Noh-Varr was right; there was plenty of chaos here as well. Most people had been cleared out earlier, but security was rushing to and fro. She could see some of them outside, forming a circle against curious onlookers some ways from the front doors. Well. That would be approximately the right location.

One or two of the security people seemed to recognize her, stepping aside to let her through. There was a crater in the pavement in their middle; nothing less could have been good enough a description. The street had cracked and caved as though something had hit it with tremendous force. And there, in the middle of that, sat Tommy, looking no worse for the wear.

"Oh, you absolute idiot." And then she was on her knees next to him, drawing him into a tight hug, only to release him when he winced. "Are you all right?"

"For someone who just took a pretty impressive fall? Sure, just peachy. But I think my wound opened up again." As Kate drew back, she saw blood staining his sleeve, and cursed. "It'll be fine, really, Noh stitched it up pretty neat earlier, the shock just must have ripped something. But, yeah, I'll let someone with actual medical qualifications take a look."

"There are so many words for your stupidity right now, I can't even settle for the right one." She sighed, vaguely aware of Noh coming to stand behind her. "Don't you ever, ever do that to me again. I actually thought I'd killed you for a minute there."

"Oh, please. If I ever make a plan that actually involves you killing me, I'd at least give you the satisfaction of doing it close up and personal." Tommy gave her a leer. "Erotic asphyxiation sounds like an excellent way to go."

Kate snorted. "Please, like I'd give you that pleasure. You're just lucky you didn't actually die, because I would have found a way to resurrect you just to do it again for daring to scare me like that."

"No luck involved, beautiful. I planned all this very meticulously, believe it or not. I wasn't going to die."

"You didn't know that." And that, that thought alone was almost enough to make her cry all over again.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katie my dear. Of course I knew that. You think I'd have scared you so without even knowing if it would work?"

"Worse. I don't think so, I know so." Even if it was only now dawning on her. "You thought it would probably work, but you couldn't know for sure, and you admitted it yourself."

"Oh? And when did I ever admit to such a thing?"

"You called me love." Because that had to have been it, that hadn't been part of the scheme, that had been Tommy taking the one opportunity he still had to say it to her. "You called me love, because you didn't know if you would survive and wanted to make sure I knew."

"You put a lot of faith in me to think that." Even so, his tone softened a bit as he lifted a hand to touch her cheek. "Even so, I'm glad it worked."

There was a crash and some hubbub, and then the people around them parted again as Iron Man walked closer with heavy steps. He flipped his mask open, then, and gave Tommy a glare that utterly lacked any sort of anger. "You. You're grounded forever and ever."

"Because it's going to be so easy to keep me locked up." Tommy gave Tony a weak grin. "Suppose it's about time I get home, though."

"Indeed. You've been on your little sleepover for quite a while." Tony glanced at Noh-Varr, giving barely more than a nod. "And picked up all kind of bad habits on the way, I see."

"Yeah, well, I'm keeping him, so deal. If Billy gets to have two pet aliens, I get to have one."

"Oh, sure, you're old enough to decide who you keep around. Just like you're old enough to explain this whole mess to Pepper. And Steve. And the whole damn team at that."

"I had a plan that allowed me to get Pepper safe without letting Noh and myself get carried off. I couldn't come up with a better one in the time provided." Tommy shook his head. "They had a helicopter —"

"I know, we noticed the approach too. Steve and the others aren't much behind me, they're going to chase that one down. With these guys, we should get enough info to get the last of these bastards weeded out."

"Thank fuck. People like that shouldn't be allowed out in public. Or, you know. Anywhere with air." There was a fierce tone in Tommy's voice. Kate couldn't exactly blame him.

"Trust me, it's going to take quite a while before any of them see any daylight. Between this, the attack at the school, and anything else we might uncover while interviewing them, these bastards aren't going to be running off any time soon." If ever, Tony's voice promised.

"We need to get him home." Kate glanced at Tony. "His wound opened from the impact, and I don't think his legs are in very good shape, either, resistant or not. And don't you dare argue," she added as Tommy opened his mouth. "If that wound was the only thing wrong with you, you'd have gotten up by now. Probably met us halfway up the Tower just to brag about your ingenuity."

"Point." Tommy winced. "I think I may have broken something. At the very least sprained an ankle. Or two."

"If two busted ankles are the worst you get from falling to your death, I don't think you get to complain." Tony stepped closer, then crouched with surprisingly smooth movements given how bulky the armor was, picking Tommy up into his arms. "Come on, kids. Let's get you all home for now."

"About time." Tommy gave a dramatic sigh. "I've kind of missed my workshop."

"As though I don't know about you sneaking back a couple of times." Tony gave no time for Tommy's indignant protests, continuing on, "Which reminds me, Billy still hasn't heard about any of this. He's doing his exams at Xavier's right now, so we didn't even tell him about the alert, left him for a last resort kind of deal. Which means that while you only need to explain your idiotic insanity of a plan to most of the team, someone lucky enough gets to break the whole sordid tale to him."

Tommy groaned. "Can't we just pretend nothing happened?"

"Pretty sure he'll hear about it from the news if nothing else, so, no. And I think I know who I'm going to vote for to fill him in." Kate poked him in his good shoulder, gently. For all that she was still a bit mad at him for scaring her so, she wasn't about to hurt him, not when he was already in such bad shape. "Think of it as an opportunity to reconnect with your brother. Besides, he's going to be so relieved about you getting back home he won't be too angry at you."

"One can hope." There was fuss around them, people snapping pictures left and right, and this was all going to be all over the 'net before they made it back to the Avengers Tower, but right now Kate didn't care. "And once we're done, the three of us need to talk." He glanced at Kate, then at Noh-Varr, and the implication was clear. Whether his announced plans had been accurate or not, there was clearly some truth to them at least.

She could handle that, though. As long as he didn't think she was about to let go of him any time soon.

And if he thought she'd let him run off again, well, she'd damn well stab him with a unicorn horn before letting that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting tomorrow, I'm going to post an Avengers update every day until the 25th, real life and internet permitting. A lot of it will be in this 'verse -- the end of this fic, the start of the next main fic, a side story or two -- but there's also little additions to my other ongoing 'verses along with stand-alone pieces.


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are guests, surprises, and a wedding. Steve may or may not cry, Fury makes a bet, Erik is civil, and Billy couldn't be happier.

It was fascinating to watch Tommy in his workshop.

Noh-Varr had seen him at a tablet even before the attack at the school, and had even then been drawn in by the speed at which Tommy had handled the device. This, however, was something else entirely. It wasn't just Tommy's hands that moved fast; he kept flitting between workspaces with hardly even a pause at each, typing in a word here and a line there, only to stop at a table to put together a couple of components before modifying a schematic at another. He wouldn't slow down at all, and for all that the constant movement should have seemed restless, it instead gave an air of liveliness that Noh-Varr found soothing.

He remembered how Tommy had been after the incident, when he hadn't been able to walk or run much for a while as his injuries healed, even his system having met its match. Noh wouldn't say he had been absolutely impossible to deal with, like some members of the team claimed, but it had certainly been a trying time.

By now they were both entirely recovered, though, and Tommy kept rushing about his workshop, leaving Noh to watch him.

He'd become quite familiar with the couch at the back of the workshop. When Tommy was working it offered him a decent view of the activity, and when Tommy was not there, it was a peaceful spot when he felt like he needed a break. The Tower with all its inhabitants could get overwhelming sometimes, and Noh could admit at least to himself when he needed a break.

He worked on his tablet sometimes, brushing up on his language skills. He could carry a conversation without much difficulty by now, after weeks of making it one of his main activities, but more idiomatic phrases still escaped him sometimes. Other times he did understand them, but pretended otherwise, mostly because doing so made Kate smile in amusement.

Kate. There was another thing he found fascinating. He'd heard a lot about her before they ever even met, Tommy had talked about her almost constantly, and he had been rather curious to meet the woman who had so clearly captured Tommy's heart. Then he had actually met her, seen her and spoken with her and watched her with Tommy, and he had found the answer to the why.

Noh didn't claim to be in love, not with either of them. He certainly held deep affection, and a healthy amount of desire, but it was his opinion that love was something that grew over time. Tommy and Kate had that, it had been clear enough from the first time he saw them together, and he certainly hoped he would never come between the two of them. However, when they had approached him about making him part of what they had, when he had just barely met Kate for the first time, he had agreed without hesitation.

Love was something that grew over time. He was rather looking forward to that.

Kate was here with him now, her attention more on the TV screen before her than on Tommy. Then, he supposed she had been watching it long before Noh had come to Earth. He wondered if it had fascinated her as much as it now did him.

He was just about to ask her when the entire building trembled.

He thought he'd imagined it at first, that perhaps it was some kind of loud sound that his body decided to interpret as vibration instead to shield him from the impact. However, Tommy came to a halt all of a sudden, glancing around. "You feel that?"

"Kinda hard to miss." Kate frowned. "What was that, an earthquake?"

"Pretty sure those are supposed to last longer. JARVIS? Any info?"

"I do believe that was the reverberations of the Bifrost as it deposited its passengers on the helipad, Master Tommy."

"Really?" Tommy's eyes lit up in the manner Noh had already learned meant he was anticipating something exciting. "So Thor's guests are here?"

"So it would appear, yes."

"Oh, that's just great." In an instant, Tommy was standing before Noh-Varr and Kate. "Come on, get moving. We've got to see them before Billy hears and hogs them forever and ever."

Kate laughed and stood up, leaving Noh-Varr confused as he did the same.

"Is there something going on I should be aware of?"

"Oh, Thor just asked if he could invite his friends around for the wedding, you know, since it's going to be a grand feast and all. Billy of course got really excited, he's a total Norse fanboy." Kate stretched her arms above her head before making to follow Tommy out of the workshop. "And though Tommy won't admit it, he's also a bit excited, because how often do you meet several space vikings at once?"

"Also, I heard Sif is dangerous and hot." Tommy threw them a grin over his shoulder. "Much like the two of you."

"Well, I'm not quite yet open to expanding our little affair any further, so don't get any ideas." Kate was smirking, though, so Noh-Varr concluded neither of them was entirely serious.

As they arrived up at the helipad Thor was already there, big and boisterous as ever, eagerly greeting who appeared to be his awaited guests. There were four of them in total, three men and a woman all clad in armor and clothes similar to those Thor wore on the field, along with what seemed to be trunks of luggage.

"Well, you don't travel light." By now Noh knew enough of Earth's manners to know that Tommy's remark was not generally considered an appropriate greeting, and exchanged an exasperated look with Kate. They both knew better than to hope to change him. "Warriors four, I presume? Didn't Thor tell you we kind of have clothing stores around here, too?"

"Aye, that'd be us." One of the men, a large man who was probably as big around as he was tall, gave a loud laugh, not appearing offended. "And most of our luggage is gifts for the young couple. It would be quite dishonorable of us to be invited to such a feast and not bring them anything to ease the start of their lives together."

"It is as Volstagg says." The woman gave a terse nod, though she did not seem too unkind. "I am Sif of Asgard, and these are Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral. Are you some of Thor's new companions?"

"Aye, this is true." Thor gave a bright grin. "These are Lady Kate, she of the eyes of a hawk, and her companions, Tommy son of Tony and Noh-Varr of the Kree. It is Tommy's brother who is soon to have his nuptial feast with one of our shield brothers."

"So, now that we've been all polite and shit, you want to come in? We don't exactly have mead or whatever, but I'm sure we can have some sort of hospitality before the others get home. And maybe get your things inside? Not that we're expecting a helicopter any time soon, but we're still technically supposed to keep the pad clear, just in case."

"Some refreshment would certainly not be amiss." One of the men — Fandral, Noh-Varr thought Sif had said — grinned. "And it might be wise to go through our things, to separate what personal belongings we did bring from the wedding gifts and other tokens of goodwill."

"Your father sent something with us," the third man said to Thor; Hogun, by process of elimination. "It's your brother's old books. He thought it better to have them in the hands of a young mage learning his trade than to lie forgotten in his wake."

Thor's expression turned somber, but he nodded. "I'm sure young William will find them most useful in his studies."

"Oh, great. He won't know whether he should be more ecstatic about the magic stuff or the guests." Despite his words Tommy's eyes were dancing. As though everyone hadn't known he rather preferred seeing his brother happy. "So, inside?"

This was how Noh-Varr soon found himself in the middle of the main living room, helping Tommy and a couple of very loud Asgardians unpack and sort through a few travel trunks of stuff. Personal belongings were set to one side, some rather ancient-looking tomes in a pile to another, yet a lot more remained. From what he understood from the general chatter around him, it was considered appropriate on Asgard to show one's position and wealth through gifts, and as Thor was a prince and his friends were all in good standing it wouldn't have done for them to fail to meet such expectations.

"I wonder what they'll do with all this stuff," Tommy murmured, folding up a piece of rather elaborate fabric. "I mean, it's not like they're exactly lacking in material goods."

"Aye, but it is only appropriate for family and friends to help a young couple get their start in life." Volstagg chuckled. "And besides, it is unlikely you would find things as beautiful and magical without much trouble here on Midgard."

"I suppose not." Tommy set the fabric aside, next to a pair of intricate goblets, and took out the next object. "A dagger? Is this for cutting bread or stabbing each other?"

"Ah, such a fine thing!" Thor bellowed, rushing forward to take the sheathed blade from Tommy's hands. "Truly, I can only hope my Lady Jane and I will receive one as delightful when we enter the bonds of matrimony!"

"Oh?" Kate lifted an eyebrow from where she was watching on with some amusement on her face. "I'd have thought your hammer would be enough for you."

"Oh, but this is not a weapon, my dear Lady." Fandral flashed them a grin. "It is a childknife."

"A childknife?" Tommy made a face. "I don't think that sounds very pleasant."

Thor laughed. "It is nothing like you imagine, I'm sure." He drew the knife out of its sheath, turning it so the blade caught a hint of light. "It is inscribed with runes of protection and fertility. It is to be hung above the marital bed, to bring forth strong and healthy children."

"Right." Tommy lifted an eyebrow. "You are aware they are both guys, right?"

"And? I wouldn't think that to mean they have no right to children if they are so inclined. I believe they will raise rather delightful children one day."

"Teddy is a shapeshifter." It almost surprised Noh-Varr that he could say it so calmly. He had not exactly been as peaceful when he had first learned that the other half of his fellow Kree was in fact from the Skrull bloodline. True, Teddy had proved himself to be quite unlike most of his species, but it had still been rather a big shock to him. "It should not be beyond his capabilities to hold a female form long enough to lay an egg."

"Oh, I know that. I'm just not convinced Billy could keep it up long enough to put a bun in that oven in the first place when faced with a girly Teddy."

"You know, you lose all rights to complain about their mushiness when you're very happy to have discussions about your brother's sex life." Kate rolled her eyes, but her tone was fond. "And for the record, they are planning to get started on the family thing within the next few years, and yes, hatchlings are included in the list of possibilities."

"Indeed." Thor gave a solemn nod. "Which is why it's only appropriate to give them this token, to show our good wishes for their future together."

"Right." There was a strange look on Tommy's face for a moment before he gave a dramatic sigh. "Figures. I turn my back for a teeny weeny moment and my baby brother decides the egg justifies the penis."

"That was just weak, Tommy. Not to mention disturbing." Kate gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look.

"Hey, I can only work with the material I am given." Tommy shrugged, some tension easing away from him. "But, hey, at least now I finally know what to get them as a wedding gift."

"Oh?" Kate's eyebrows flew up high. "Because just so you know, you are not buying your brother any kind of sexual aids. That would be just creepy."

"Ew, no, I'd rather not think about that at all." Tommy's grimace turned into a grin in a flash. "What do you think, how hard would it be to build a Skrull-appropriate incubator?"

Well. Tommy always did move fast, and in fascinating ways.

Noh-Varr was just grateful he would be there to watch.

*

"Last chance to run, just so you know."

Billy glanced over to where Tommy was leaning against the wall, giving him a faint smile. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I passed by that point a long time ago." He looked at the mirror again, reaching for the clear stud in his ear. He carefully took out the back and drew the stud away, setting them on the dresser next to the mirror.

"You know, I could swear you once said you wouldn't ever get earrings."

"I figured it's about time I let go of some past fears. And if there's one thing important enough to get me over them, it's Teddy." There was the empty piercing now, healed just in time, and next to it hang the familiar golden circle with a green gem, flashing a soft light at regular beats. He'd thought of taking it to a jeweler to get the ring modified, but Erik had offered to take the task, and he had more than delivered.

"Yeah, well, you could have still gotten another ring."

"This way we'll be the same, though. Also, since the wedding bands aren't soft metal, it'd be kinda risky to have it on my hand out in the field. I wouldn't want it to get stuck if I hurt my hand or something." He gave himself one last look in the mirror, adjusting the cape, and then turned toward his brother. "How do I look?"

"Well, your hair is far too dark, but otherwise you're perfect." At Billy's snort, Tommy smirked. "Yeah, yeah, you're great. Big Green won't know what hit him. Of course, he'd probably still think you look gorgeous if you walked out in a garbage bag loincloth and nothing else."

"Teddy might, but I have a feeling Janet would kill me, after all the work she has put into this." Billy brushed a hand over his hair, as tamed down as it was ever going to get. "…I'm going to get married, Tommy."

"Yeah, that's kind of the purpose of this whole mess." Tommy stuck his hands in his pockets, heedless of the formality of his clothes. "I meant it about a last chance to run, you know. Once we go out that door, I'm going to consider it my duty to stop you by any means necessary."

"Like you could stop me from blinking off if I wanted to." Billy sighed. "No, what I mean is… it's real, isn't it? All of this. This isn't a dream or an illusion; I'm really, actually going to be married. Short of a supervillain showing up, it's an absolute certainty."

"Even if one tries, it's still going to happen. I know shit all about magic, but I was there when Strange set the wards. He said the wards will stop anything short of Loki paying a personal visit, and even he would be hindered enough we could get through the vows before kicking his ass."

"Really? You watched him set the wards?" Billy blinked in surprise. Tommy didn't have quite the distaste for magic that Tony tended to cling to, but he still preferred more concrete means of affecting the world. Or complain about how annoying and unpredictable magic was at every opportunity.

"Kind of had to, seeing how I got tricked into being part of the circle to power the wards. I tried to point out that I'm not the magical one, but Wanda said that as your brother I can at least act as a conduit, whatever that means."

"Makes sense. You wouldn't need to have an active part, but between Wanda and me it's pretty likely you have at least some magical potential in you." Billy couldn't help but grin a bit. "I wonder if you could actually learn some magic."

"Like hell. Someone's got to keep up the Stark tradition of healthy skepticism." Tommy gave him a grin. "You want an apprentice witch, you'd better make your own."

"Well, I am getting married. It's generally accepted that children often follow." Not that he was thinking about such things yet. Well, he had thought of children, of course, Teddy and he had talked about that sometimes, but it wasn't exactly his most pressing concern just now.

"Eh, not like you've got to hurry about it. You're not exactly senior citizens yet." At least Tommy wasn't trying to tell him they were far too young to even think about marriage. "So, you never told me. Are you taking his name, or is he taking yours?"

"We're both keeping our own." Billy adjusted his collar one last time. "We figured that since we both took them after coming here, it wouldn't matter either way. And this way if and when we have kids some day, they get to choose which one they prefer, too."

"Huh. I'd have thought the two of you would be the type to go for a shared name."

"If that was what our relationship depended on, there'd be enough to worry about without getting pedantic about our names." Billy paused. "Teddy said that Bruce came to talk to him, though. Tried to convince him to take my name, because there's nothing to be proud of in the Banner name."

"And what'd Teddy say to that?"

"What do you think?" Billy gave a small smile. "Told Bruce to stop badmouthing Teddy's father, because he's never seen a man more worthy of acknowledgement."

Tommy snorted. "Of course he did, the sap."

"Yes, well, I can't help but agree. Bruce has been really great for Teddy all this time, it wouldn't be right to pretend he never did anything for us."

"Yeah, he's been pretty good about this parenting business. Certainly when you went traipsing off with Erik. Nobody else could get through to Teddy at first."

"And yet Teddy still wants to keep me." Which was not going to cease to amaze him any time soon.

"Boys?" There was a knock at the door, and they heard Wanda's voice calling through. "Boys, are you ready? We've got to go."

"Yeah, we're ready." Billy glanced at Tommy, who gave him an encouraging nod. The door opened, and Wanda stepped in just as Billy turned toward her. She was smiling, and looked wonderful in her red dress and cape. "So. How do I look?"

"Oh, Billy, darling, you look absolutely handsome." Wanda gave him a brilliant smile with only the slightest hint of tears, walking closer to smooth the lines of his cape over his shoulders. "Teddy will be stunned when he sees you."

"Really? I don't think it looks very different from his usual costume." Despite the snide words, though, Tommy was grinning, so Billy was going to ignore that comment.

"That's kind of the point, you know." Janet had taken their idea and ran with it, creating something reminiscent of his usual costume that still managed to be clearly formal. He was wearing something between a well-cut suit and a uniform, all black aside from a few shining stars here and there, a rich red cape falling from his shoulders. Perhaps it wasn't all that traditional, but then they had never been too bothered about traditions. This worked for them, and that was what was important.

He was going to marry Teddy, and that was what was important.

"So, we're supposed to get going, right?" Tommy grasped his arm and tugged. "Come on. Can't keep the green one waiting."

"Right." He let himself be led out of the room where he had been getting ready, down the unusually empty corridors of the Institute. Even at summer there was usually some life around here, but now the entire building seemed empty.

Then they stepped outside, with rows and rows of seats set ready, all the people who had been missing from the mansion sitting there, waiting for them.

It was just like they had planned it, with flowers and sunshine and everyone there. Some of the students were murmuring among themselves, only to fall quiet as they saw Billy appear from the side. The school staff were all there, and Spider-Man's team, and so many other faces all smiling at him. Peter stood to the side, taking pictures, but Billy hardly even noticed him right now, taking everything in.

Most of the team was in the front row, all smiling encouragingly at him. Thor stood at the front under the chuppah, looking rather serious in his most gleaming armor and most impressive cape. Ororo stood next to him, attempting a similar look of seriousness but breaking into a grin as she saw Billy, clutching her basket full of flower petals.

Then Teddy appeared at the opposite side, and Billy forgot everything else.

He'd seen Janet's sketches for Teddy's outfit, but this was the first time he saw it in person. It was similar to his own, in that she had created a more formal version of his costume, another black uniform in a very flattering cut, a green cape framing his strong form. Unlike Billy's, though, Teddy's suit lacked sleeves, leaving his scaled shoulders and green arms clearly in view. His eyes met Billy's, and he gave a hesitant smile, all big and green and strong and smiling just for him.

Billy had never seen anything more handsome.

Tommy nudged him, and he realized he was supposed to move, starting to walk towards the centre. Teddy walked up as well, flanked by his own attendants, Kate in deep purple and Noh in the exact same white and silver as Tommy. They met in the middle, the others falling to the sides, and for the first time since their very first date Billy felt almost hesitant to take Teddy's hand. Teddy solved the problem for him, gently taking both of Billy's hands in his, as they both stepped to stand in front of Thor.

"My friends!" Thor's voice boomed like thunder. "We have gathered here today to witness the union of two young warriors, two brothers at arms who are bound together by the deepest of love. They come here as two hearts, the sons of two houses, but will leave today as one house and one heart, as is right of those who take the blessing of Frigga."

Billy thought he caught a hint of wistfulness in Thor's voice, but as he risked a glance over, Thor was beaming like the sun.

"Who will defend their right to this union?"

"We will." Tony and Bruce both stepped forward. Billy caught Bruce's eyes behind Teddy's shoulder, and he was smiling.

"Who are you, to claim that right?" Thor took on a mighty frown that almost could have convinced Billy that he was indeed questioning them.

"We are their fathers and their family," Tony said. "It's of their own free will that they come here today, free of any other bond or obligation, and we will defend their right to stand here."

"And how will you defend them this day?"

"With the power of our words and the strength of our arms." Bruce was still smiling. "They have the strength and the will on their own, but this day it's not their place to fight."

"So be it!" Thor didn't yell, not quite, but it certainly sounded like a grand proclamation nevertheless. "If any would be to oppose this union today, let it be known that these men will stand in the way, to defend it against any villain! Will any step forward and face their wrath?" He threw a fierce glare towards the gathered people.

There was a moment's pause as everyone was doing their best not to make any sort of sound ever again.

"Well!" All of a sudden Thor was all smiles and sunshine again. "There is no obstacle and no opposition, save if any is found in the will of the couple." He looked at Billy, and he felt the bottom of his stomach falling away. "William Magnus, son of Tony of the house of Stark. Are you here before us of your own free will and the love of your heart?"

"I am."

"And do you wish to take this man and warrior as your husband, to stand beside him in battle and in peace, come joy or despair, to be his and have him be yours, for as long as the World Tree stands and beyond?"

Now, the words almost got stuck in Billy's throat, but a gentle squeeze of Teddy's hands around his helped him get them out. "I do."

Thor gave him a solemn nod, then turned towards Teddy. "Theodore Rufus, son of Bruce of the house of Banner. Are you here before us of your own free will and the love of your heart?"

"I am." Teddy's hands, Billy noticed, were trembling, just a little. That made him feel a bit better about his own nerves, but it didn't exactly help him with the threat of tears trying to break free.

"And do you wish to take this man and warrior as your husband, to stand beside him in battle and in peace, come joy or despair, to be his and have him be yours, for as long as the World Tree stands and beyond?"

Teddy looked at Billy now, and for all that Thor's smiles were like the sun, the smile on Teddy's face made Billy feel like he had just found summer in the middle of deepest winter. "I do."

"It is their wish and their will to be bound in matrimony, here before us today," Thor announced. "Let them now make their oaths of love, so that each would know the depths of the other's love and desire. William?"

Right. That was his cue. Now he just had to not mess this up.

And no, he could not wish that he could disappear. That could only end badly.

"Teddy." Billy swallowed, trying to remember his words. "The day I met you, my life changed." He looked Teddy in the eye, saw the kind smile and the blue blue eyes, and felt slightly less terrified. Just a bit. "You are not the one who asked me to become a hero, but you were the one who made me believe I could be one. We have shared the worst and the best of times together, and no matter what we faced, you never wavered from my side. I want to promise you the same today, that I will stand by you, come what may. You are my joy and you are my peace, and there is nobody I could love more than you, in this world or any other." And from him, that was a powerful promise.

"You are my heart, my life, my everything. From this day forward, I will always be by your side, like you have always been by mine in all our days together. This I promise, with all my will and all my heart, because I am yours and always will be. If the world were to shatter and break apart, I would have no fear, because I know it could never be remade without you still holding my heart."

He came to a halt, silently congratulating himself for getting to the end without stumbling over his words or breaking into tears. Teddy, he saw, was blinking away tears, and damn, now he was going to cry as well, and Teddy hadn't even gotten started.

Instead of Teddy, however, it was Thor who spoke next, and the surprise was enough to scare the tears away for now. "I have been asked to speak here to all gathered," Thor rumbled, and even his gentle tones managed to sound deep and majestic. "As many of you know, Theodore comes from the line of the Skrull, and it is to honor that heritage that he appears in this form today. However, he also has the blood of the Kree in him, and he has chosen to reflect this in his vows today."

Teddy drew a deep breath, and behind him Noh-Varr stepped closer, turning to face their audience. Then Teddy started to speak in a strange, almost melodious tongue, sometimes pausing over a word or two but never showing hesitation. Every now and then he paused for a moment, letting Noh-Varr translate what had been said.

"I was born from war and hatred, and a union that never should have been." Teddy's hands held onto his, steady now, the trembling disappeared. "If my blood had ruled me, it would have been a life of war that I led, but I was saved by you. All others looked at me and saw only half of me, only what they wished to see, but you saw me as whole and accepted it all, as broken and strange as I am."

Now, Billy was definitely blinking away tears, but Teddy continued, steady as ever.

"Even when I did not know who I was, you still believed in me and in what I could be. Even when I had nothing, when I had lost all else that I loved, I still had you, and that lightened my grief and gave me hope for tomorrow. For a child of war, you gave peace. For a child of hatred, you gave love. You gave me a heart and a life and a world, not with your power, but with your love."

Yeah, crying. Though he supposed he could be forgiven, since Teddy seemed to be struggling against tears himself, even as he went on with a small smile.

"There is little I can offer you, but I give you myself; it is not much of an offering, but you have told me it is good. There is nothing of me that does not belong to you, because it is your love and your strength that have made me who I am this day. Without you I am nothing, without your love I am nothing. If I swear loyalty to you, it is but my duty; if I swear affection, it is but your due. So I swear to you my honor, the one thing that is mine to give, and by my honor I will love you until the end of time, for your heart is more precious to me than the most glorious empire."

"So they have sworn their oaths, and may not one word of them be broken." Thor's voice was still loud enough to carry over to the audience, but it almost seemed soft in comparison with his earlier pronouncements. "Let them now exchange their rings, which are the symbols of their love, for them to bear with them always as they do each other's hearts."

Through the haze of tears Billy only barely saw Tommy stepping forward, digging into his pocket, before he crouched down. Then Legolas bounded forward, holding up the pillow with the newly deposited rings. "Ring!"

"That's right, ring." Billy managed a smile through his tears, picking one of the two identical earrings. Like the modification of his engagement band, these were Erik's handiwork, a special alloy he had worked that existed nowhere else. It meant that there was nothing similar to them in the whole world, just these two rings, so apparently simple.

Nothing simple about them.

His job was the easier one, reaching over to place the ring on Teddy's ear; Teddy's earlobe simply moved itself around it, forming a piercing where there had been none before. Teddy on the other hand had to actually take a second, leaning close to get the ring safely in the newly healed piercing Billy had freed just a little while earlier.

"So it is done!" Thor bellowed, throwing his arms in the air. "By the power of all of Asgard and the laws of their Midgardian home, I, Thor Odinson, find it my honor to pronounce these two men husbands. At the breaking of the glass, may the feast begin!"

Billy wasn't even sure who had managed to get the glasses there, couldn't recall whose task it had been. They were there, though, neatly covered with handkerchiefs for the sake of safety, and somehow he had enough coordination left that he and Teddy each smashed theirs simultaneously.

Flower petals filled the air then as Ororo finally got to do her duty, but Billy paid little attention. He was busy getting swept right off his feet into Teddy's arms to the cheery chorus of "Mazel tov!" from the audience, and then any remaining thoughts fled him as he finally kissed his husband.

*

He was married.

The fact still hadn't quite sunk in for Teddy, leaving him in something of a daze. He was married, and more than that, he was married to Billy. Billy, the love of his life, was now his husband.

He was fairly sure his smile had etched itself permanently on his face by now, but that didn't matter. What mattered was being right here, right now, with Billy right at his side as they received congratulations from all the people who had decided their wedding was worth the time to show up. There were a lot of them, too, mostly familiar faces but some new ones as well, Xavier's students and new superheroes and SHIELD personnel, and it seemed every single one of them wanted a word or two with them.

Steve had been crying as he hugged them both, while Tony had given them a grin that was only slightly mad and informed Teddy he had no way of getting rid of the Starks now, as though he had wanted to. They were then followed by others, smiles and tears and perfectly professional expressions with just a hint of something softer, and Teddy had long since lost count of them all.

Billy had been looking for someone particular for a while now, Teddy had noticed that much. Not that he ignored the people who did come, but every now and then his eyes would wander about the crowd, clearly searching. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was looking for, not now that their families and closest friends had all had their turn.

It didn't really surprise him that Erik chose to wait until the end, when all the others had had their time and turned their attention to the rest of the guests or the food that was already set up. He hardly even looked like himself, clad in a fine black suit with a burgundy tie, walking up to them once the last person to congratulate them had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Mazel tov." Erik's voice was serious but sincere. "That was a beautiful ceremony."

"We tried to make it so." Teddy chuckled. "Though I'll admit I was terrified I wouldn't be able to break the glass."

Billy lifted an eyebrow at him. "You were terrified? I don't even have superstrength. How do you think I felt?"

"Well, luckily both of our fears were unfounded." Teddy grinned and leaned down to steal a kiss from his husband, and no, he was never going to get enough of that. "All of them. No stubborn glasses, no collapsing canopies, no villain attacks and no forgotten vows."

"Not that anyone could have told if you'd forgotten some of yours." Billy grinned. "And now we are married."

"Indeed we are, husband mine." No, definitely not getting enough of that.

Erik smiled politely at their sappiness, then seemed to remember something as he reached for his pocket. "Ah, yes. I suppose I should give you this." He handed over a small business card, which Billy accepted. Teddy leaned in to look over his shoulder.

The card wasn't anything overly special, a neat black font on a steel gray base. However, as he saw the words on the card, his eyebrows shot up. "The Anya Eisenhardt Foundation?" That was... what was that?

"Indeed." Erik's lips twitched. "I believe you have been informed of your dear father's plans for your gift?"

"He said he'd match our wedding budget to a charity." Billy paused. "You don't mean..."

"He has been quite busy these last few months, as I understand. Running around making everything happen in a timely fashion, threatening a frankly impressive number of lawyers, actually having me vetted by the SHIELD security, that kind of thing. The end result being, yes, there is now an Anya Eisenhardt Foundation. One that is, in fact, your wedding present."

"That. That's." Billy paused. "Actually, that's precisely what I would expect from him."

"I was somewhat dubious when he requested my involvement, but I was brought to believe he has good intentions. And, well, the goal is one I'm rather happy to help with." As Billy gave him a questioning glance, Erik's face softened, just a bit. "The Foundation is to help young orphaned or abandoned mutant children find adoptive families."

Billy teared up at that, and Teddy felt his own eyes getting somewhat blurry as well. He figured they were allowed, given that it was their wedding day and everything.

"That's amazing," Teddy murmured, reaching his arms around Billy. Billy leaned into him, wiping at his tears.

"That's why I was with Charles the day of the attack. We were negotiating the terms of our cooperation in this matter." Erik nodded towards where Charles was apparently in deep conversation with Phil, and wasn't that an odd combination. "We're going to start a more concentrated effort to find any young mutant children in orphanages or foster care. The Institute will house and school them at least until we find suitable families, and we will provide the prospective parents with legal and financial help." Erik paused. "Charles has also promised to speak with potential human parents about what it means to have a mutant in the family."

"So you'll allow non-mutant parents to adopt, too?"

"The time is over when we could live in isolation." Erik glanced at a couple of children rushing past, an unreadable expression on his face. "Many of the children here have human parents, and while some of them have faced hardships for their mutation, there are others who have received nothing but support and love even as their powers came in. And, on the other hand, not all mutant parents are good for their mutant children." He gave a rueful smile, but it faded soon. "Anyone who passes our screening is eligible, mutant, human, or otherwise. With human parents we might be more careful to ascertain that they fully understand what having a mutant child means, but that is all."

"And the more mutants there are in the human society, the better their chances of understanding and accepting us."

"You are a hopeful one." Erik quirked an eyebrow at Billy's words, but he still had a hint of a smile. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But if in the meantime we can help a few little children find loving homes, perhaps I will find some small measure of redemption." Then, before either of them could say anything or especially argue, Erik nodded, turned and walked away.

For a moment they were silent, digesting what they had heard in silence. Teddy was the first one to break it.

"So, what do you think he meant by 'otherwise?'"

"I think it was his subtle little hint that if we're going to get started on providing the next generation of grandkids anytime soon, it might be a good idea to let him know." Billy turned in his arms to grin up at Teddy. "And here I thought marrying a man would at least get me through the wedding day before anyone started dropping those hints."

"Maybe he didn't mean anything by it." Though he had a hard time believing someone like Erik wouldn't choose every word with care. "Anyway. Best wedding gift ever, or best wedding gift ever?"

Billy chuckled, and Teddy felt the minute vibration against his chest. "Oh, I don't know. The special copy of the Avengers wedding issue we were promised sounds pretty great, too."

"Oh, hush. You know the really amazing part there is the fact that we're regulars in an Avengers comic. Regular enough that they're making a special issue about our wedding. That's even more awesome than what I ever dreamed of as a kid." He nuzzled the top of Billy's hair, messing up the meticulously arranged hair. Billy didn't seem to care overly much. "Anything left to wish for, or are we set for life?"

Billy drew back enough to give him a brilliant smile, and that, that smile was what Teddy wanted to see every single day of his life, however long as it lasted. "No," he said, a hand set right over Teddy's heart. "I've got everything I want right here."

That, Teddy decided, was a sentiment he could definitely agree with.

*

The trouble with a properly catered buffet was, there was just too much to choose from.

Things would have been so much easier had she only found a thing or two to set on her plate, but the selection was much larger than her appetite at the moment could hope to be. Of course, it was only natural, this was supposed to be a feast after all, but that didn't make the selection any easier.

"I'd try the chicken if I were you." The friendly voice came up right next to her. "It's really good."

Kate turned to look at her friend. "Billy." She smiled. "Where did you leave your husband?"

Billy's own smile widened. "You know, I don't know how long it's going to take for me to stop grinning when I hear that." He chuckled, pointing to where a small crowd had gathered. "Apparently the Asgardians are determined to best him in arm-wrestling, though Thor decided to only step forward if he can beat the others. I'm actually not entirely sure how it's going to end, but I bet there's going to shouting and mead involved."

"Oh?" She turned back to the table and picked a couple of pieces of chicken, along with some stuffed mushrooms. "So why aren't you there cheering him on?"

"I did watch for a little while, but then I gave up my spot for those who were more interested in the actual challenge than just watching Teddy's muscles." Billy's cheeks took on a slight reddish tint, but his grin remained. "I can see that whenever I want, after all."

"And you aren't even interested in seeing whether your boyfriend can best a god?"

"I've seen him train with Thor often enough." Billy shrugged. "He made short work of Fandral, and took a bit longer on Volstagg. When I left them, Hogun was sitting down to face him. Who knows how they convinced him to take part, but then I suppose Asgardians take challenges seriously."

"Still. Aren't you the Norse fan? Shouldn't you be all over this thing?"

"I guess some of the shine's worn off by now. Besides, I got hungry." Billy looked a bit sheepish, indicating the plate he was filling. "I was too nervous to eat much of anything in the morning, and then after the ceremony everyone was in a hurry to get us to socializing, so I couldn't get much eaten then, either. And, well, it's already been a while since then."

"Well, you're definitely entitled to proper food at your own wedding, I'd say." Though now she was curious. "So how do you think that will turn out? Teddy and the Asgardians?"

Billy shrugged. "As I said, I'm not actually sure. We know Teddy's maximum lifting strength exceeds that of the Asgardian average when needed, at least if Thor's reports are correct, but this isn't exactly a life or death situation, this isn't lifting, and these aren't average Asgardians. Though," his voice dropped into a controversial whisper, "I did overhear Steve and Fury make a bet."

"You did?" Now, this was definitely interesting. "What was it?"

"They were disagreeing on whether Teddy could beat all of the Warriors Three and Sif. Apparently, the loser has to take a turn at the karaoke machine." Billy chuckled. "I'd say that whichever way it goes, it's going to be a show worth watching."

"I'd say." Kate looked toward the gathered crowd again. They were getting rather noisy. "Dare I ask who took which side?"

"Steve said Teddy would succeed, actually. Which would be worrying, seeing how Fury likes to make it appear he knows everything, but then I doubt Fury has ever personally taken on an Asgardian."

"Fair point." Billy was right; the chicken really was very good. She waited until Billy had filled his plate, after which they wandered away from the table to look for somewhere to sit.

"So." Billy took a seat as they found an empty corner at one of the tables. "Why do I find you alone?"

"The wonder twins are still busy dancing." She nodded to the general direction of where she had last seen Tommy and Noh. "I have no idea where Tommy's jacket had disappeared to, and I doubt he does, either, but at least they were clearly having fun. I suppose I'm happy that they're enjoying the party, but less would wear out a girl." She paused. "Thank you for including Noh in the wedding party, by the way. It really means much to him."

"Of course we did. Our sides wouldn't have matched otherwise." He dodged her half-hearted swat with a grin, then his expression softened. "Seriously, though, I'm happy to hear he feels so. I was worried he'd feel out of place, but we really did want to include him. He's clearly important to Tommy, and now you. That, and he's pretty much our only link to Teddy's background, and for once it's not a terrible one." He blushed a bit again. "I think that was made clear during the vows."

"Yes, that bit was really sweet. I actually didn't even know it was coming; I did know they had been scheming something, but they refused to give me any details."

"It was a total surprise for me. An amazing one, though." Billy gave her a curious look. "So, ah. You mind me asking how you're doing? The three of you, I mean. Because from what I've understood, it is the three of you, right?"

"Actually, we're great." And that still surprised her, and would probably continue to do so for a while, but she wasn't complaining, heavens no. "After everything calmed down, Tommy had a surprisingly honest talk with us about feelings. He said he wanted Noh, but that he and I were a package deal, and both Noh and I had to be fine with that or he wouldn't start anything. I told him that, well, obviously I didn't even know the guy, but I was willing to find out more, if he didn't get too upset in case it didn't work out."

Billy nodded. "And Noh-Varr?"

"He just asked what this date thing was he was supposed to take us on to demonstrate his honorable intentions. I'm still not entirely sure how Tony managed to get a word with him alone before us, but clearly it stuck." And this was all something Billy usually would have heard shortly afterwards, but with the wedding preparations and other trivial matters such as establishing Noh-Varr's legal status, they had all been rather thoroughly distracted lately.

That startled a laugh out of Billy. "Oh, I can just see that. And how did that go?"

"We started at an extremely posh restaurant and finished the night having burgers at a tiny corner shop instead. Tommy actually ran into a wall, Noh threw up, and I lost a shoe at some point." She allowed herself a smile. "I'm not sure if I've ever been happier in a situation that did not involve the deep relief of narrowly escaping imminent death."

"You ever wonder if we have a very twisted view of the world?" Billy was grinning, though, so obviously he understood. "Seriously, though, I'm happy for you guys. You deserve all the happiness in the world." The grin took on a slightly teasing hint. "Not that I'm surprised that you'd have to double-team Tommy to keep up with him."

"What can I say? Some things just run in the families." Kate took another bite of her chicken. It was getting fairly late. "You know, I think after I'm done eating, I'll go and hunt them down again. Can't let them forget all about me so easily."

"Oh?" Billy gave her an almost sly gaze. "Any special plans for the night?"

Kate gave a small hum. "Let's just say that the next time Fury tracks down an unicorn, he can damn well try taming it himself."

This caused Billy's deepest blush yet, but hey, at least he got closer to matching his cape.

It was, she decided, a most wonderful evening. And if she had any luck, it was only going to get better.

*

"Are you sure everything will be all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't you worry about a thing." Tommy patted Legolas on the furry little head. "I'll look after Leggy while you're away. And before you say anything, I have Kate to remind me should I forget. And JARVIS if Kate gets distracted. So not to worry, your darling will be just fine when you get back."

"Right." Billy drew a deep breath. "Sorry. It's just, I haven't left him behind for so long before."

"Yes, well, I'd say your honeymoon is one time in your life when you're perfectly excused for not wanting any additional hangers-on." Tommy gave his brother his best approximation of Tony's patented filthy smirk. "Don't want to do just anything in front of such big impressionable eyes, after all."

"You are terrible." Billy shook his head, but he was smiling. Then, he reached down to pat Legolas's head as well. "You'll be fine while we're away, won't you?"

"Billy away!" declared the little creature. Well, at least it got the concept, or Tommy certainly hoped so. He was never quite certain just how intelligent the thing was. He had a nagging feeling the answer might not have been one he liked very much.

"Right. But Teddy and I will be back soon, okay?"

"Yeah, don't you rush your return. Once you get back, you probably shouldn't hold your breath until the next vacation. With our luck, we'll get attacked by three different supervillains before a week's gone by."

"If anything happens, we can --" Billy started, but Tommy waved him off.

"Oh, don't you dare suggest you'll come back. No. I forbid it. You are not allowed to cut your honeymoon short, even temporarily, because of supervillain crises on the other side of the planet. If it seems the world is ending and you are our only hope, we might send a couple of dysfunctional droids, but other than that, the two of you are off the roster. And don't try to argue, Cap agrees with me. He says we won't be calling on you unless the world is on fire, and while I'm pretty sure he was being metaphorical, it just might have been literal, so I wouldn't push my luck if I were you."

"Woe is me, having to spend a couple of weeks on the beach with my husband." Just saying the word seemed to make Billy glow from the inside, and that would have been sickening except it was good to see it again. "Fine. But you have to promise to call us if we're actually needed."

"Only if we can't handle it without you. But fine." Tommy nodded. "Now, shouldn't you go get Teddy and your bags and head to the airport? Have to leave plenty of time for the security, after all."

"Ah, right." Billy seemed to hesitate. "Is there anything --"

"No. There's nothing I need to know, nothing that might be unclear, nothing you need to do except run off to lizard-in-law and go pretend you're a couple of sex-crazed bunnies somewhere nice and sunny." Tommy smirked at the hint of a flush at his brother's face. "And don't even try to tell me you're not planning to have him naked the moment the hotel room door closes behind you."

"I thought you didn't want to think about that kind of stuff." But Billy was smiling, and that was good, Billy definitely needed to smile, this was splendid. "Of course, if you've changed your mind, I could always --"

"No. Don't you fucking dare, Billy Magnus Stark, or I will do something we both might regret later. Well, I'm not sure regret is the right word, but it rolls off the tongue so much easier than 'wail in endless agony over,' because that's how much I do not want to hear this."

"Right." Billy chuckled, then finally overcame the hesitation he had been battling all along. Stepping forward, he drew Tommy into a hug, ignoring his half-hearted protests. "Thank you," he murmured. "For coming back."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm stupid like that." Tommy seemed somewhat embarrassed as Billy drew away. "Now, shouldn't you be going before I regret my promise and you have to take the brat along?"

"Duly noted." Billy gave him a small grin. "Now, Legolas, you'll behave for Tommy, won't you?" He ruffled the little alien's fur. "And don't let him blame you for anything stupid, all right?"

"Right!" Legolas cheered, then hugged his leg. "Billy go!"

"Right, right, I'm going." Billy chuckled. "And with any luck, the world will still be standing when we get back."

"Oh, please. Like we'd deprive you of the chance of having a hand at breaking it." Tommy was grinning, though, so he probably wasn't actually planning anything potentially world-ending. At least Billy certainly hoped not. "Now, shoo, go enjoy your socially sanctioned sex holiday."

"I assure you that we shall." And then they would come back home, and find all their family and friends still waiting.

Really, he couldn't have asked for anything more.


	11. After Credits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets home to someone very important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, anyone remember that alternate future where Eli married a Falcon by the name of Sam(antha) Wilson?
> 
> Because I do.

While Sam'd had a pleasant buzz when he left the party, it had worn down by the time he arrived home. Making his way through central New York late in the evening wasn't exactly a picnic, and the forces of good and bad moods fought valiantly enough that their fight should have by all rights been immortalized in the kind of comic books with bright colors and giant sound effects. As it was, the remnants of the party carried him far enough that by the time he fumbled for the key to open the door, everything had faded into a kind of faint pleasantness.

Of course, as he got the door open and was welcomed by the smell of fresh coffee, the battle was decided then and there.

"Ah, you're home." Eli was leaning against the counter as he entered their tiny kitchen, chuckling as Sam leaned in for a kiss and then tried to make grabby hands at his coffee cup. "No way, you get your own. I made enough."

"My hero." Sam set aside the package he had been carrying, then went to get himself a cup. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting. It's always worse when Elizabeth is away, I swear she's got a magic skill of locating misshelved books. Maybe she's a mutant or something, it's uncanny." Eli took a sip of his coffee, the tease. "And you? How was the huge secret party?"

"A very noisy affair, for one." He finally got his own cup filled, breathing the smell in deep before his first sip. "It looked like they used SHIELD's directory of vigilante heroes as the base of their guest list, and tacked on a few dozen mutant kids for good measure. Not much organized stuff, just the ceremony, a couple of speeches, and more food than I thought was possible to pile up in one big buffet. Which, I might add, is not a bad approach to a wedding."

"Damn, now I'm kind of sorry I missed it." Eli chuckled. "I thought it'd be a stuffy Stark affair, but that actually sounds like something I might have enjoyed."

"Well, if it's the food you're sorry about, I've got you covered." Sam nodded toward the package. "Plenty of it, all for you. Though I'm sure there's still going to be a lot left over once you're done."

Eli gave him an incredulous look. "You got me a dog bag from a wedding?"

"No, I didn't. I just mentioned to some people that you couldn't come, and when I was leaving this big Viking guy ran up to me and shoved the box at me. Apparently it's Asgardian tradition that the more people the feast feeds, the better luck it is for the couple, so he made me swear to get this to you so you can eat some in their honor."

"In that case, I suppose it's practically my duty to eat." Eli grinned as he set his cup aside and stepped closer to open the package. "At least it all smells good."

"Yeah. I've no idea what they packed, but I'm pretty sure there's going to be something tasty." In the meantime, he'd just be enjoying his coffee.

"Well, it seems meat is a dominant feature. Makes sense, if it was put together by a Viking." Eli started pulling out smaller packets and parcels, peeking into some, sorting them out on the counter for eating and fridge or whatever logic he was following. "Anything besides a private superhero convention and pushy gods that I should know about?"

"I'm pretty sure Captain America teared up more than once. It was kind of adorable, really. Also turns out he's the guy who has been annoying me whenever I go running lately. At least now I don't have to feel so bad about getting lapped." Now, Sam blinked, remembering something he really shouldn't have forgotten in the first place. "Oh! That reminds me. Apparently Cap would like to meet your grandfather."

"Really?" Eli frowned, glancing at him. "Why?"

"Apparently, he hadn't known about him. Which, yeah, not that surprising, and also not the guy's fault. When I mentioned you were interested in Cap because of Isaiah, though, without any details mind you, Stark recognized the name immediately. After getting the summarized version of the story, Cap asked if you would get in touch with your grandparents and see how they would feel about a meeting. Said he didn't want to just show up out of the blue."

"I, ah. I guess I'll ask them." Eli was feeling a bit flustered; he tried to cover it up, of course, but the way he crinkled his nose a bit gave him away. "I think they'll be happy to see him, though. Neither of them was ever bitter to Cap; it's the system that screwed grandpa over."

"That's good to hear. I got Cap's card, actually, so I can let him know at a more decent hour."

"May I just say there's a tiny bit of me that's jumping up and down at the idea that you've got Captain America's card and say it like it's no big deal?"

"I think that part of you is kind of adorable, though." Sam stepped closer, leaning in for another stolen kiss. "And if I told you I gave them my number in turn if the Avengers are up to something I might be able to help with?" He actually wasn't entirely sure how Eli would react to that. He'd always had somewhat divided feelings about Sam's after-hours activities, and the kind of enemies the Avengers attracted tended to be in a slightly different weight class than those that showed up on Falcon's turf.

"Good." To his surprise, the answer came immediately and without hesitation. "At least if you're working with them, you'll have someone out there looking after your idiotic ass."

"Now, I'm hurt. I thought you liked my ass."

"Of course I do. Which is why I prefer both it and all the rest of you in one, non-bleeding piece." Eli sighed, just a bit. "You know I don't mind you doing that kind of stuff. I just wish I could be there to keep you safe."

"I know." Sam brushed a hand against the side of Eli's face. "That's why I've made sure to always come back to you." It was also why he had made absolutely sure nobody had any reason to believe Falcon had any connection to the adorably serious and dutiful bookworm that Sam himself held so precious, but there was no reason to bring that up. Eli had enough worries as it was.

"You'd better continue that trend." Eli let his head drop on Sam's shoulder for a moment before he straightened again, taking on a stern look. "I'm too damn young and pretty to be a widower yet, so keep that in mind."

"Believe me, I'm not about to forget how pretty you are." Sam offered a small grin. "Don't worry, I'll stay in one piece. Especially since I think you'd go on a quest for vengeance if I failed to come home, and God knows Faith would find a way to resurrect me just to scold me if I got you involved in that kind of thing."

"Just as long as you remember that." Eli's stern expression gave way for a small grin. "And now, I think I should do my part for the happiness of the young couple."

"Please do. I'd hate to disappoint someone who took part in an arm wrestling tournament that ended up breaking the table." And he did wish the kids all manner of happiness, anyway. He'd gotten that, after all, so it was only fair to wish it for them as well.

As long as he knew he could come home and find Eli already prepared to fuss and frown over his scrapes and bruises, nothing could get him down.


End file.
